Provides that the county of Fulton may impose a occupancy tax on rooms for hire; requires funds to be allocated for economic development and tourism promotion.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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5454
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 27, 2013
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BUTLER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means
AN ACT to amend the tax law, in relation to authorizing the county of
Fulton to impose hotel or motel taxes
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The tax law is amended by adding a new section 1202-cc to
2 read as follows:
3 § 1202-cc. Hotel and motel tax in Fulton county. (1) Notwithstanding
4 any other provision of law to the contrary, the county of Fulton is
5 hereby authorized and empowered to adopt and amend local laws imposing
6 in such county a tax, in addition to any other tax authorized and
7 imposed pursuant to this article as the legislature has or would have
8 the power and authority to impose upon persons occupying hotel or motel
9 rooms in such county. For the purposes of this section, the term "hotel
10 or motel" shall mean and include any facility providing lodging on an
11 overnight basis and shall include those facilities designated and
12 commonly known as "bed and breakfast", "inn", "housekeeping cottages
13 with four or more units", and "tourist facilities".
14 The rates of such tax shall be one-half of one percent, any whole
15 percent or any combination of a whole percent and one-half of one
16 percent; provided that such rates shall not exceed four percent;
17 provided, however, that such tax shall not be applicable to a permanent
18 resident of a hotel or motel. For the purposes of this section, the term
19 "permanent resident" shall mean a person occupying any room or rooms in
20 a hotel or motel for at least thirty consecutive days.
21 (2) Such tax may be collected and administered by the county treasurer
22 or other fiscal officers of the county of Fulton by such means and in
23 such manner as other taxes which are now collected and administered by
24 such officers or as otherwise may be provided by such local law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02537-01-3
A. 5454 2
1 (3) Such local laws may provide that any tax imposed shall be paid by
2 the person liable therefor to the owner of the hotel or motel room occu-
3 pied or to the person entitled to be paid the rent or charge for the
4 hotel or motel room occupied for and on account of the county of Fulton
5 imposing the tax and that such owner or person entitled to be paid the
6 rent or charge shall be liable for the collection and payment of the
7 tax; and that such owner or person entitled to be paid the rent or
8 charge shall have the same right in respect to collecting the tax from
9 the person occupying the hotel or motel room, or in respect to nonpay-
10 ment of the tax by the person occupying the hotel or motel room, as if
11 the tax were a part of the rent or charge and payable at the same time
12 as the rent or charge; provided, however, that the county treasurer or
13 other fiscal officers of the county, specified in such local law, shall
14 be joined as a party in any action or proceeding brought to collect the
15 tax by the owner or by the person entitled to be paid the rent or
16 charge.
17 (4) Such local laws may provide for the filing of returns and the
18 payment of the tax on a monthly basis or on the basis of any longer or
19 shorter period of time.
20 (5) This section shall not authorize the imposition of such tax upon
21 any transaction, by or with any of the following in accordance with
22 section twelve hundred thirty of this article:
23 a. The state of New York, or any public corporation (including a
24 public corporation created pursuant to agreement or compact with another
25 state or the Dominion of Canada), improvement district or other poli-
26 tical subdivision of the state;
27 b. The United States of America, insofar as it is immune from taxa-
28 tion;
29 c. Any corporation or association, or trust, or community chest, fund
30 or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charita-
31 ble or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to chil-
32 dren or animals, and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the
33 benefit of any private shareholder or individual and no substantial part
34 of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise
35 attempting to influence legislation; provided, however, that nothing in
36 this paragraph shall include an organization operated for the primary
37 purpose of carrying on a trade or business for profit, whether or not
38 all of its profits are payable to one or more organizations described in
39 this paragraph.
40 (6) Any final determination of the amount of any tax payable pursuant
41 to this section shall be reviewable for error, illegality or unconstitu-
42 tionality or any other reason whatsoever by a proceeding under article
43 seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules if application there-
44 for is made to the supreme court within thirty days after the giving of
45 the notice of such final determination, provided, however, that any such
46 proceeding under article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and
47 rules shall not be instituted unless:
48 a. the amount of any tax sought to be reviewed, with such interest and
49 penalties thereon as may be provided for by local law or regulation
50 shall be first deposited and there is filed an undertaking, issued by a
51 surety company authorized to transact business in this state and
52 approved by the superintendent of financial services of this state as to
53 solvency and responsibility, in such amount as a justice of the supreme
54 court shall approve to the effect that if such proceeding be dismissed
55 or the tax confirmed the petitioner will pay all costs and charges which
56 may accrue in the prosecution of such proceeding; or
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1 b. at the option of the petitioner such undertaking may be in a sum
2 sufficient to cover the taxes, interests and penalties stated in such
3 determination plus the costs and charges which may accrue against it in
4 the prosecution of the proceeding, in which event the petitioner shall
5 not be required to pay such taxes, interest or penalties as a condition
6 precedent to the application.
7 (7) Where any tax imposed pursuant to this section shall have been
8 erroneously, illegally or unconstitutionally collected and application
9 for the refund thereof duly made to the proper fiscal officer or offi-
10 cers, and such officer or officers shall have made a determination deny-
11 ing such refund, such determination shall be reviewable by a proceeding
12 under article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules,
13 provided, however, that such proceeding is instituted within thirty days
14 after the giving of the notice of such denial, that a final determi-
15 nation of tax due was not previously made, and that an undertaking is
16 filed with the proper fiscal officer or officers in such amount and with
17 such sureties as a justice of the supreme court shall approve to the
18 effect that if such proceeding be dismissed or the tax confirmed, the
19 petitioner will pay all costs and charges which accrue in the prose-
20 cution of such proceeding.
21 (8) Except in the case of a wilfully false or fraudulent return with
22 intent to evade the tax, no assessment of additional tax shall be made
23 after the expiration of more than three years from the date of the
24 filing of a return, provided, however, that where no return has been
25 filed as provided by law the tax may be assessed at any time.
26 (9) All revenues resulting from the imposition of the tax under the
27 local laws shall be paid into the treasury of the county of Fulton and
28 shall be credited to and deposited in the general fund of the county,
29 thereafter to be allocated for the promotion of tourism development,
30 economic development, and other directly related and supporting activ-
31 ities; provided, however, that such local laws shall provide that the
32 county of Fulton shall be authorized to retain up to a maximum of ten
33 percent of such revenues to defer the necessary expenses of such county
34 in administering such tax.
35 (10) Each enactment of such local law may provide for imposition of a
36 hotel or motel tax for a period of time no longer than three years from
37 the date of its enactment. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the
38 adoption and enactment of local laws, pursuant to the provisions of this
39 section, upon the expiration of any other local law adopted pursuant to
40 this section.
41 (11) If any provision of this section or the application thereof to
42 any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the remainder of this
43 section and the application of such provision to other persons or
44 circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
45 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
