(A) There is hereby imposed a tax upon every person in the city using communication services including intrastate, interstate and international communication services. The tax imposed by this section shall be at the rate of 8% of the charges made for such services and shall be collected from the service user by the communication services supplier or its billing agent. There is a rebuttable presumption that communication services, which are billed to a billing or service address in the city, are used, in whole or in part, within the city’s boundaries, and such services are subject to taxation under this subchapter. If the billing address of the service user is different from the service address, the service address of the service user shall be used for purposes of imposing the tax. As used in this section, the term “charges” shall include the value of any other services, credits, property of every kind or nature, or other consideration provided by the service user in exchange for the communication services. “Communications services” does not include that portion of cable or video television services subject to a cable or video television fee.
(B) “Mobile Telecommunications Service” shall be sourced in accordance with the sourcing rules set forth in the Mobile Telecommunications Sourcing Act (4 U.S.C, § 124). The Tax Administrator may issue and disseminate to communication service suppliers, which are subject to the tax collection requirements of this subchapter, sourcing rules for the taxation of other communication services, including, but not limited to, post-paid communication services, prepaid communication services and private communication services, provided that such rules are based upon custom and common practice that further administrative efficiency and minimize multi-jurisdictional taxation (e.g., Streamline Sales and Use Tax Agreement).
(C) The Tax Administrator may issue and disseminate to communication service suppliers, which are subject to the tax collection requirements of this subchapter, an administrative ruling identifying those communication services or charges therefor, that are subject to or not subject to the tax of division (A) above.
(D) As used in this section, the term “telecommunication services” shall include, but are not limited to, charges for: connection, re-connection, termination, movement or change of telecommunication services; late payment fees; detailed billing; central office and custom calling features (including, but not limited to, call waiting, call forwarding, caller identification and three-way calling); voice mail and other messaging services; directory assistance; access and line charges; universal service charges; regulatory, administrative and other cost recovery charges; local number portability charges and text and instant messaging. “Telecommunication services” shall not include digital downloads that are not “ancillary telecommunication services”, such as music, ringtones, games and similar digital products.
(E) To prevent actual multi-jurisdictional taxation of communication services subject to tax under this section, any service user, upon proof to the Tax Administrator that the service user has previously paid the same tax in another state or city on such communication services, shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed to the extent of the amount of such tax legally imposed in such other state or city; provided, however, the amount of credit shall not exceed the tax owed to the city under this section.
(F) The tax on communication services imposed by this section shall be collected from the service user by the service supplier. The amount of tax collected in one month shall be remitted to the Tax Administrator, and must be received by the Tax Administrator on or before the twentieth day of the following month.
(‘65 Code, §3-6.502) (Ord. 578, passed 11-4-08)