Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 5751.02 – Commercial activity tax levied on taxable gross receipts

(A) For the purpose of funding the needs of this state and its local governments, there is hereby levied a commercial activity tax on each person with taxable gross receipts for the privilege of doing business in this state. For the purposes of this chapter, "doing business" means engaging in any activity, whether legal or illegal, that is conducted for, or results in, gain, profit, or income, at any time during a calendar year. Persons on which the commercial activity tax is levied include, but are not limited to, persons with substantial nexus with this state. The tax imposed under this section is not a transactional tax and is not subject to Public Law No. 86-272, 73 Stat. 555. The tax imposed under this section is in addition to any other taxes or fees imposed under the Revised Code. The tax levied under this section is imposed on the person receiving the gross receipts and is not a tax imposed directly on a purchaser. The tax imposed by this section is an annual privilege tax for the calendar year that, in the case of calendar year taxpayers, is the annual tax period and, in the case of calendar quarter taxpayers, contains all quarterly tax periods in the calendar year. A taxpayer is subject to the annual privilege tax for doing business during any portion of such calendar year.
(B) The tax imposed by this section is a tax on the taxpayer and shall not be billed or invoiced to another person. Even if the tax or any portion thereof is billed or invoiced and separately stated, such amounts remain part of the price for purposes of the sales and use taxes levied under Chapters 5739. and 5741. of the Revised Code. Nothing in division (B) of this section prohibits:
1. (1) A person from including in the price charged for a good or service an amount sufficient to recover the tax imposed by this section; or
2. (2) A lessor from including an amount sufficient to recover the tax imposed by this section in a lease payment charged, or from including such an amount on a billing or invoice pursuant to the terms of a written lease agreement providing for the recovery of the lessor's tax costs. The recovery of such costs shall be based on an estimate of the total tax cost of the lessor during the tax period, as the tax liability of the lessor cannot be calculated until the end of that period.

(C)

(1) The commercial activities tax receipts fund is hereby created in the state treasury and shall consist of money arising from the tax imposed under this chapter. Seventy-five one-hundredths of one per cent of the money credited to that fund shall be credited to the revenue enhancement fund and shall be used to defray the costs incurred by the department of taxation in administering the tax imposed by this chapter and in implementing tax reform measures. The remainder of the money in the commercial activities tax receipts fund shall first be credited to the commercial activity tax motor fuel receipts fund, pursuant to division (C)(2) of this section, and the remainder shall be credited in the following percentages each fiscal year to the general revenue fund, to the school district tangible property tax replacement fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury for the purpose of making the payments described in section 5709.92 of the Revised Code, and to the local government tangible property tax replacement fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury for the purpose of making the payments described in section 5709.93 of the Revised Code, in the following percentages:

Fiscal year	General Revenue Fund	School District Tangible Property Tax Replacement Fund	Local Government Tangible Property Tax Replacement Fund
2014 and 2015	50.0%	35.0%	15.0%
2016 and 2017	75.0%	20.0%	5.0%
2018 and thereafter	85.0%	13.0%	2.0%

(2) Not later than the twentieth day of February, May, August, and November of each year, the commissioner shall provide for payment from the commercial activities tax receipts fund to the commercial activity tax motor fuel receipts fund an amount that bears the same ratio to the balance in the commercial activities tax receipts fund that (a) the taxable gross receipts attributed to motor fuel used for propelling vehicles on public highways as indicated by returns filed by the tenth day of that month for a liability that is due and payable on or after July 1, 2013, for a tax period ending before July 1, 2014, bears to (b) all taxable gross receipts as indicated by those returns for such liabilities.

(D)
1. (1) If the total amount in the school district tangible property tax replacement fund is insufficient to make all payments under section 5709.92 of the Revised Code at the times the payments are to be made, the director of budget and management shall transfer from the general revenue fund to the school district tangible property tax replacement fund the difference between the total amount to be paid and the amount in the school district tangible property tax replacement fund.
2. (2) If the total amount in the local government tangible property tax replacement fund is insufficient to make all payments under section 5709.93 of the Revised Code at the times the payments are to be made, the director of budget and management shall transfer from the general revenue fund to the local government tangible property tax replacement fund the difference between the total amount to be paid and the amount in the local government tangible property tax replacement fund.
(E)
1. (1) On or after the first day of June of each year, the director of budget and management may transfer any balance in the school district tangible property tax replacement fund to the general revenue fund.
2. (2) On or after the first day of June of each year, the director of budget and management may transfer any balance in the local government tangible property tax replacement fund to the general revenue fund.
(F)
1. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the commercial activity tax motor fuel receipts fund.
2. (2) On or before the fifteenth day of June of each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2015, the director of the Ohio public works commission shall certify to the director of budget and management the amount of debt service paid from the general revenue fund in the current fiscal year on bonds issued to finance or assist in the financing of the cost of local subdivision public infrastructure capital improvement projects, as provided for in Sections 2k, 2m, 2p, and 2s of Article VIII, Ohio Constitution, that are attributable to costs for construction, reconstruction, maintenance, or repair of public highways and bridges and other statutory highway purposes. That certification shall allocate the total amount of debt service paid from the general revenue fund and attributable to those costs in the current fiscal year according to the applicable section of the Ohio Constitution under which the bonds were originally issued.
3. (3) On or before the thirtieth day of June of each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2015, the director of budget and management shall determine an amount up to but not exceeding the amount certified under division (F)(2) of this section and shall reserve that amount from the cash balance in the petroleum activity tax public highways fund or the commercial activity tax motor fuel receipts fund for transfer to the general revenue fund at times and in amounts to be determined by the director. The director shall transfer the cash balance in the petroleum activity tax public highways fund or the commercial activity tax motor fuel receipts fund in excess of the amount so reserved to the highway operating fund on or before the thirtieth day of June of the current fiscal year.