There is hereby levied and shall be collected annual privilege taxes for the period beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of each year against the persons, on account of the business and other activities, and in the amounts to be determined by the application of rates against values or gross income as follows:
(A) Natural resource products. Upon every person engaging or continuing within this city in the
business of producing for sale, profit or commercial use any natural resources products, the amount of tax to be equal to the value of the articles produced as shown by the gross proceeds derived from the sale thereof by the producer multiplied by the following rates:
Blast furnace slag | 0.00% |
Coal | 0.00% |
Limestone or sandstone, quarried or mined | 0.00% |
Natural gas | 0.00% |
Oil | 0.00% |
Sand, gravel or other mineral product not quarried or mined | 0.00% |
Timber | 0.00% |
Other natural resource products | 0.00% |
(B) Manufacturing, compounding or preparing products. Upon every person engaged or continuing
within the city in the business of manufacturing, compounding or preparing for sale, profit or commercial use, either directly or through the activity of others in whole or in part, any article or articles, substance or substances, commodity or commodities or newspaper publishing (including all gross income or proceeds of sale from circulation and advertising), except electric power produced by public utilities or others, the amount of the tax to be equal to the value of the article, substance, commodity or newspaper, manufactured, compounded or prepared for sale, as shown by the gross proceeds derived from the sale thereof by the manufacturer or person compounding or preparing the same, except as otherwise provided, multiplied by a rate of 0.30%. The measure of this tax is the value of the entire product manufactured, compounded or prepared in the city for sale, profit or commercial use, regardless of the place of sale or the fact that deliveries may be made to points outside the city. The dressing and processing of food by a person, firm or corporation, which food is to be sold on a wholesale basis by such person, firm or corporation shall not be considered as manufacturing or compounding, but the sale of these products on a wholesale basis shall be subject to the same tax as is imposed on the business of selling at wholesale.
(C) Business of selling tangible property; exceptions. Upon every person engaging or continuing within this city in the business of selling at retail any tangible property whatsoever, real or personal, including the sale of food, and the services incident to the sale of food in hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, confectioneries and other public eating houses, except horticulture, or selling stocks, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness, a tax equivalent to 0.50% of the gross income of the business except that in the business of selling at wholesale the tax shall be equal to 0.135% of the gross income of the business. However, said business shall not be taxed before grossing $2,000,000 for any fiscal year.
(D) Public service or utility business. Upon any person engaging or continuing within this city in any public service or utility business, except railroad, railroad car, express, pipeline, telephone and telegraph companies, water carriers by steamboat or steamship and motor carriers, the amount of tax to be equal to the gross income of the business multiplied by the following rates: street and interurban and electric railways, 1%; electric light and power companies, 4% on sales and demand charges for domestic and commercial lighting and 3% on sales and demand charges for all other purposes, except as to municipally owned plants producing or purchasing electricity and distributing the same; natural gas companies, 3%, such gross income for this purpose to be determined by deducting from gross income from all sales of gas to consumers within the city the amount of tax paid by the taxpayer to the state under W.Va. Code § 11-13-2(a), on the production of the same gas; and upon all other public service or utility business, 2%. The measure of this tax shall not include gross income derived from commerce between the state and other states of the United States.
(E) Business of contracting. Upon every person engaging or continuing within this city in the business of contracting the tax shall be equal to 2% of the gross income of the business provided that contracts entered into prior to the effective date of the ordinance from which this subchapter is derived shall be excluded from payment of this tax.
(F) Business of operating amusements. None.
(G) Service business or calling not otherwise specifically taxed. Upon every person engaging or continuing within this city in any service business or calling or not otherwise specifically taxed under this subchapter, there is likewise levied and shall be collected a tax equal to 1% of the gross income of any such business. However, said service business shall not be taxed before grossing $2,000,000 for any fiscal year.
(H) Business of furnishing property for hire. Upon every person engaging or continuing within this city in the business of furnishing any real or tangible personal property or any interest therein for hire, loan, lease or otherwise whether the return be in the form of rentals, royalties, fees or otherwise the tax shall be 0% of the gross income of any such activity. However, this shall not include the hotel/motel bed tax which is taxable.
(I) Small loan and industrial loan business. Upon every person engaging or continuing within the city in the business of making loans of money, credit goods or things in action, who because of such activity is required under the provisions of W.Va. Code § 31A-2-5 to obtain a license from the Commissioner of Banking of the state and upon each and every industrial loan company the tax shall be 1% of the gross income of such activity. Persons subject to the provisions of this division (I) shall, on and after July 1, 1971, be subject to the provisions of division (J) below.
(J) Commercial banking institutions.
(a) Upon every business engaging or continuing within the city in the business of banking or financial business, the tax shall be equal to 1% of the gross income received from interest, premiums, discounts, dividends, service fees or charges, commissions, fines, rents from real or tangible personal property, however denominated, royalties, charges for bookkeeping or data processing, receipts from check sales, charges or fees, and receipts from the sale of tangible personal property; provided, that gross income shall not include: interest received on the obligations of the United States, its agencies and instrumentalities; interest received on the obligations of this or any other state, territory or possession of the United States, or any political subdivision of any of the foregoing or of the District of Columbia; or interest received on investments or loans primarily secured by first mortgages or deeds of trust on residential property occupied by nontransients; provided further, that all interest derived on activities § 113.141, shall be reported, as to amounts, on the return of a person taxable under the provision of this section.
(b) Gross income of a banking or financial business, from whatever source derived, shall be taxable under this section only.
(c) The City Council hereby finds and declares that it is the intent of the Council to subject national banking associations and other financial organizations to the tax imposed by this subchapter, in accordance with the authorization contained in 12 U.S.C. § 548, as amended by the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1969, Pub. L. 91-152, Dec. 24, 1969, 83 Stat. 379.
(Ord. passed 11-12-2019)