LD 2073
pg. 53
Page 52 of 63 An Act To Bring Maine's Sales and Use Tax Law into Conformity with the Streamli... Page 54 of 63
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LR 3203
Item 1

 
price except as otherwise provided. The value of a meal or rental
does not include any amount charged or collected in lieu of a
gratuity or tip as a specifically stated service charge when that
amount is to be disbursed by the operator to its employees as
wages. The value of a meal does not include any amount paid with
federal food stamps or Women, Infants and Children Special
Supplemental Food Program food instruments distributed by the
Department of Health and Human Services.

 
2. Computation. An operator shall add the tax imposed by this
chapter to the sale price on all sales of meals, rentals of
living quarters, and rentals of automobiles for a period of less
than one year. The tax when so added is a debt of the purchaser
to the operator until it is paid, and is recoverable at law by
the operator from the purchaser in the same manner as the sale
price. When the sale price involves a fraction of a dollar, the
tax computation must be carried to the 3rd decimal place, then
rounded down to the next whole cent whenever the 3rd decimal
place is 1, 2, 3 or 4 and rounded up to the next whole cent
whenever the 3rd decimal place is 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. Breakage under
this section is retained by the operator as compensation for the
collection.

 
3. Excessive collection prohibited. Any person who knowingly
charges or collects as the tax due on the value of a sale of a
meal, a rental of living quarters, or a rental of an automobile
for a period of less than one year an amount in excess of that
provided by this section commits a Class E crime.

 
4. Tax a levy on consumer. The liability for, or the incidence
of, the tax imposed by this chapter is declared to be a levy on
the consumer. An operator shall add the amount of the tax to the
sale price of meals and rentals subject to tax under this chapter
and may state the amount of the tax separately from the sale
price on price display signs, sales or delivery slips, bills and
statements that advertise or indicate the sale price of those
meals or rentals.

 
§4944. Return and payment of tax

 
1. Monthly return required. An operator shall file with the
State Tax Assessor, on or before the 20th day of each month, a
return made under the penalties of perjury on a form prescribed
by the assessor. The return must report the total sale price of
all sales of meals, rentals of living quarters, and rentals of
automobiles for a period of less than one year made during the
preceding calendar month and such other information as the
assessor requires. The assessor may permit the filing of returns
other than monthly. The assessor, by rule, may waive reporting
nontaxable sales and rentals. The assessor may for good cause


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