Section 30101.7 Of Article 1. Tax On Distributors From California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 13. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 1.
30101.7
. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
section to facilitate the collection of all applicable state
surtaxes, sales or use taxes, and escrow and other payment
obligations on cigarettes sold to residents of the state and to
ensure compliance with the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of
2009 (PACT Act; Public Law 111-154).
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (d), no person may engage in
a retail sale of cigarettes in California unless the sale is a
vendor-assisted, face-to-face sale.
(c) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions
shall apply:
(1) "Consumer" means a person who purchases cigarettes or tobacco
products. "Consumer" does not include any person licensed under this
part or under Division 8.6 (commencing with Section 22970) of the
Business and Professions Code and lawfully operating as a
manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer of cigarettes or
tobacco products.
(2) "Delivery sale" means sale of cigarettes or tobacco products
into and in this state in either of the following cases:
(A) The consumer submits the order for the sale by means of a
telephone or other method of voice transmission, the mail, or the
Internet or other online service, or the seller is otherwise not in
the physical presence of the consumer when the request for purchase
or order is made.
(B) The cigarettes or tobacco products are delivered to the
consumer by common carrier, private delivery service, or other method
of remote delivery, or the seller is not in the physical presence of
the consumer when the consumer obtains possession of the cigarettes
or tobacco products.
(3) "Delivery seller" means a person who makes a delivery sale.
(4) "Face-to-face sale" means a sale in which the purchaser is in
the physical presence of the seller or the seller's employee or agent
at the time of the sale. A face-to-face sale does not include a
delivery sale.
(5) "Indian country" shall have the same meaning as provided in
Section 1151 of Title 18 of the United States Code, and includes any
other land held by the United States in trust or restricted status
for one or more Indian tribes.
(6) "Interstate commerce" means commerce between a state and any
place outside the state, commerce between a state and Indian country
in the state, or commerce between points in the same state but
through a place outside of the state or through any Indian country.
(7) "Tobacco products" shall have the same meaning as otherwise
defined under this part with the exception of cigars.
(d) A person may engage in delivery sale of cigarettes or tobacco
products to a person in California provided that all of the following
conditions are met:
(1) The delivery seller has fully complied with all of the
requirements of Chapter 10A (commencing with Section 375) of Title 15
of the United States Code, otherwise known as the Jenkins Act.
(2) The delivery seller obtains and maintains any applicable
license under this part and under Division 8.6 (commencing with
Section 22970) of the Business and Professions Code, as if the
delivery sales occurred entirely within this state.
(3) The delivery seller complies with any applicable state law
that imposes escrow or other payment obligations on tobacco product
manufacturers, including, but not limited to, Sections 104555 to
104557, inclusive, of the Health and Safety Code.
(4) The Attorney General may require the delivery seller to report
to the Attorney General its delivery sales of cigarettes and tobacco
products to California consumers in the form and manner specified by
the Attorney General.
(e) Any violation of this section by any person is a misdemeanor.
Each offense shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed five
thousand dollars ($5,000), or imprisonment not to exceed one year in
a county jail, or both the fine and imprisonment. The amount of any
fines assessed shall be deposited in the Cigarette and Tobacco
Products Compliance Fund.
(f) The State Board of Equalization may provide information
relative to a seller's failure or attempt to comply with the PACT Act
and the Jenkins Act to the Attorney General.
(g) The Attorney General or a city attorney, county counsel, or
district attorney may bring a civil action to enforce this section
against a person that violates this section and, in addition to any
other remedy provided by law, the court shall assess a civil penalty
in accordance with the following schedule:
(1) A civil penalty of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000)
and not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000) for the first
violation.
(2) A civil penalty of not less than two thousand five hundred
dollars ($2,500) and not more than three thousand five hundred
dollars ($3,500) for the second violation within a five-year period.
(3) A civil penalty of not less than four thousand dollars
($4,000) and not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the
third violation within a five-year period.
(4) A civil penalty of not less than five thousand five hundred
dollars ($5,500) and not more than six thousand five hundred dollars
($6,500) for a fourth violation within a five-year period.
(5) A civil penalty of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for a
fifth or subsequent violation within a five-year period.
(h) This section does not prohibit the lawful sale of a tobacco
product that occurs by means of a vending machine.
(i) Nothing in this section shall relieve the seller of cigarettes
from any other applicable requirement of state law relating to the
sale or distribution of cigarettes or tobacco products in this state.
(j) The board shall enforce the licensing and tax provisions of
this section. Other provisions of this section shall be enforced by
the Attorney General.
(k) The provisions of this section are severable. If any provision
of this section or its application is held invalid, that invalidity
shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given
effect without the invalid provision or application.