SENATE, No. 2292
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED DECEMBER 1, 1997
By Senator SINGER
An Act eliminating the sales and use tax on the maintenance of residential septic systems, amending P.L.1966, c.30.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.1966, c.30 (C.54:32B-3) is amended to read as follows:
3. There is imposed and there shall be paid a tax of 6% upon:
(a) The receipts from every retail sale of tangible personal property, except as otherwise provided in this act. If the lessor of tangible personal property purchased for lease elects to pay tax on the amount of the sales price as provided in paragraph (2) of subsection (bb) of section 2 of P.L.1966, c.30 (C.54:32B-2), any and each subsequent lease or rental is a retail sale, and a subsequent sale of such property is a retail sale.
(b) The receipts from every sale, except for resale, of the following services:
(1) Producing, fabricating, processing, printing or imprinting tangible personal property, performed for a person who directly or indirectly furnishes the tangible personal property, not purchased by him for resale, upon which such services are performed.
(2) Installing tangible personal property, or maintaining, servicing, repairing tangible personal property not held for sale in the regular course of business, whether or not the services are performed directly or by means of coin-operated equipment or by any other means, and whether or not any tangible personal property is transferred in conjunction therewith, except (i) such services rendered by an individual who is engaged directly by a private homeowner or lessee in or about his residence and who is not in a regular trade or business offering his services to the public, (ii) such services rendered with respect to personal property exempt from taxation hereunder pursuant to section 13 of P.L.1980, c.105 (C.54:32B-8.1), (iii) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1990, c.40), (iv) any receipts from laundering, dry cleaning, tailoring, weaving, pressing, shoe repairing and shoeshining and (v) services rendered in installing property which, when installed, will constitute an addition or capital improvement to real property, property or land.
(3) Storing all tangible personal property not held for sale in the regular course of business and the rental of safe deposit boxes or similar space.
(4) Maintaining, servicing or repairing real property, other than a residential heating system unit serving not more than three families living independently of each other and doing their cooking on the premises, whether the services are performed in or outside of a building, as distinguished from adding to or improving such real property by a capital improvement, but excluding services rendered by an individual who is not in a regular trade or business offering his services to the public, and excluding garbage removal and sewer services performed on a regular contractual basis for a term not less than 30 days, and excluding maintenance services of a residential septic system.
(5) Advertising services, except advertising services for use directly and primarily for publication in newspapers and magazines and except for direct-mail advertising processing services in connection with distribution to out-of-State recipients.
(6) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1995, c.184).
(7) Utility service provided to persons in this State, any right or power over which is exercised in this State.
Wages, salaries and other compensation paid by an employer to an employee for performing as an employee the services described in this subsection are not receipts subject to the taxes imposed under this subsection (b).
Services otherwise taxable under paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection (b) are not subject to the taxes imposed under this subsection, where the tangible personal property upon which the services were performed is delivered to the purchaser outside this State for use outside this State.
(c) Receipts from the sale of food and drink in or by restaurants, taverns, vending machines or other establishments in this State, or by caterers, including in the amount of such receipts any cover, minimum, entertainment or other charge made to patrons or customers:
(1) In all instances where the sale is for consumption on the premises where sold;
(2) In those instances where the vendor or any person whose services are arranged for by the vendor, after the delivery of the food or drink by or on behalf of the vendor for consumption off the premises of the vendor, serves or assists in serving, cooks, heats or provides other services with respect to the food or drink, except for meals especially prepared for and delivered to homebound elderly, age 60 or older, and to disabled persons, or meals prepared and served at a group-sitting at a location outside of the home to otherwise homebound elderly persons, age 60 or older, and otherwise homebound disabled persons, as all or part of any food service project funded in whole or in part by government or as part of a private, nonprofit food service project available to all such elderly or disabled persons residing within an area of service designated by the private nonprofit organization;
(3) In those instances where the sale is for consumption off the premises of the vendor, and consists of a meal, or food prepared and ready to be eaten, of a kind obtainable in restaurants as the main course of a meal, including a sandwich, except where food other than sandwiches is sold in an unheated state and is of a type commonly sold in the same form and condition in food stores other than those which are principally engaged in selling prepared foods; and
(4) Sales of food and beverages sold through coin-operated vending machines, at the wholesale price of such sale, which shall be defined as 70% of the retail vending machine selling price, except sales of milk, which shall not be taxed. Nothing herein contained shall affect other sales through coin-operated vending machines taxable pursuant to subsection (a) above or the exemption thereto provided by section 21 of P.L.1980, c.105 (C.54:32B-8.9).
The tax imposed by this subsection (c) shall not apply to food or drink which is sold to an airline for consumption while in flight.
(d) The rent for every occupancy of a room or rooms in a hotel in this State, except that the tax shall not be imposed upon (1) a permanent resident, or (2) where the rent is not more than at the rate of $2.00 per day.
(e) (1) Any admission charge, where such admission charge is in excess of $0.75 to or for the use of any place of amusement in the State, including charges for admission to race tracks, baseball, football, basketball or exhibitions, dramatic or musical arts performances, motion picture theaters, except charges for admission to boxing, wrestling, kick boxing or combative sports exhibitions, events, performances or contests which charges are taxed under any other law of this State or under section 20 of P.L.1985, c.83 (C.5:2A-20), and, except charges to a patron for admission to, or use of, facilities for sporting activities in which such patron is to be a participant, such as bowling alleys and swimming pools. For any person having the permanent use or possession of a box or seat or lease or a license, other than a season ticket, for the use of a box or seat at a place of amusement, the tax shall be upon the amount for which a similar box or seat is sold for each performance or exhibition at which the box or seat is used or reserved by the holder, licensee or lessee, and shall be paid by the holder, licensee or lessee.
(2) The amount paid as charge of a roof garden, cabaret or other similar place in this State, to the extent that a tax upon such charges has not been paid pursuant to subsection (c) hereof.
(f) The receipts from every sale, except for resale, of intrastate or interstate telecommunications charged to an address in this State, regardless of where the services are billed or paid.
(cf: P.L.1997, c.162, s.18)
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill provides for the elimination of the sales and use tax on maintenance services such as the "pumping out" of residential septic systems. There are approximately 300,000 individual homes with septic systems in the State. Generally, to be properly maintained most septic systems should be "pumped out" at least every other year with normal usage.
This bill would offer tax parity with the customers of public sewerage systems, as households with sewers hooked up to public systems do not pay a sales tax.
Eliminates sales and use tax on maintenance of a residential septic system.