Section 142.815

Title X TAXATION AND REVENUE

Chapter 142

Effective - 28 Aug 2005, 3 histories, see footnote   (history) 

  142.815.  Exemptions allowed for nonhighway use. — 1. Motor fuel used for the following nonhighway purposes is exempt from the fuel tax imposed by this chapter, and a refund may be claimed by the consumer, except as provided for in subsection (1) of this section, if the tax has been paid and no refund has been previously issued:

  (1) Motor fuel used for nonhighway purposes including fuel for farm tractors or stationary engines owned or leased and operated by any person and used exclusively for agricultural purposes and including, beginning January 1, 2006, bulk sales of one hundred gallons or more of gasoline made to farmers and delivered by the ultimate vender to a farm location for agricultural purposes only. As used in this section, the term "farmer" shall mean any person engaged in farming in an authorized farm corporation, family farm, or family farm corporation as defined in section 350.010, RSMo. At the discretion of the ultimate vender, the refund may be claimed by the ultimate vender on behalf of the consumer for sales made to farmers and to persons engaged in construction for agricultural purposes as defined in section 142.800. After December 31, 2000, the refund may be claimed only by the consumer and may not be claimed by the ultimate vender unless bulk sales of gasoline are made to a farmer after January 1, 2006, as provided in this subdivision and the farmer provides an exemption certificate to the ultimate vender, in which case the ultimate vender may make a claim for refund under section 142.824 but shall be liable for any erroneous refund;

  (2) Kerosene sold for use as fuel to generate power in aircraft engines, whether in aircraft or for training, testing or research purposes of aircraft engines;

  (3) Diesel fuel used as heating oil, or in railroad locomotives or any other motorized flanged-wheel rail equipment, or used for other nonhighway purposes other than as expressly exempted pursuant to another provision.

  2. Subject to the procedural requirements and conditions set out in this chapter, the following uses are exempt from the tax imposed by section 142.803 on motor fuel, and a deduction or a refund may be claimed:

  (1) Motor fuel for which proof of export is available in the form of a terminal-issued destination state shipping paper and which is either:

  (a) Exported by a supplier who is licensed in the destination state or through the bulk transfer system;

  (b) Removed by a licensed distributor for immediate export to a state for which all the applicable taxes and fees (however nominated in that state) of the destination state have been paid to the supplier, as a trustee, who is licensed to remit tax to the destination state; or which is destined for use within the destination state by the federal government for which an exemption has been made available by the destination state subject to procedural rules and regulations promulgated by the director; or

  (c) Acquired by a licensed distributor and which the tax imposed by this chapter has previously been paid or accrued either as a result of being stored outside of the bulk transfer system immediately prior to loading or as a diversion across state boundaries properly reported in conformity with this chapter and was subsequently exported from this state on behalf of the distributor;

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The exemption pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall be claimed by a deduction on the report of the supplier which is otherwise responsible for remitting the tax upon removal of the product from a terminal or refinery in this state. The exemption pursuant to paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subdivision shall be claimed by the distributor, upon a refund application made to the director within three years. A refund claim may be made monthly or whenever the claim exceeds one thousand dollars;

  (2) Undyed K-1 kerosene sold at retail through dispensers which have been designed and constructed to prevent delivery directly from the dispenser into a vehicle fuel supply tank, and undyed K-1 kerosene sold at retail through nonbarricaded dispensers in quantities of not more than twenty-one gallons for use other than for highway purposes. Exempt use of undyed kerosene shall be governed by rules and regulations of the director. If no rules or regulations are promulgated by the director, then the exempt use of undyed kerosene shall be governed by rules and regulations of the Internal Revenue Service. A distributor or supplier delivering to a retail facility shall obtain an exemption certificate from the owner or operator of such facility stating that its sales conform to the dispenser requirements of this subdivision. A licensed distributor, having obtained such certificate, may provide a copy to his or her supplier and obtain undyed kerosene without the tax levied by section 142.803. Having obtained such certificate in good faith, such supplier shall be relieved of any responsibility if the fuel is later used in a taxable manner. An ultimate vendor who obtained undyed kerosene upon which the tax levied by section 142.803 had been paid and makes sales qualifying pursuant to this subsection may apply for a refund of the tax pursuant to application, as provided in section 142.818, to the director provided the ultimate vendor did not charge such tax to the consumer;

  (3) Motor fuel sold to the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof. This exemption shall be claimed as provided in section 142.818;

  (4) Motor fuel used solely and exclusively as fuel to propel motor vehicles on the public roads and highways of this state when leased or owned and when being operated by a federally recognized Indian tribe in the performance of essential governmental functions, such as providing police, fire, health or water services. The exemption for use pursuant to this subdivision shall be made available to the tribal government upon a refund application stating that the motor fuel was purchased for the exclusive use of the tribe in performing named essential governmental services;

  (5) Motor fuel sold within an Indian reservation or within Indian country by a federally recognized Indian tribe to a member of that tribe and used in motor vehicles owned by a member of the tribe within Indian country. This exemption does not apply to sales within an Indian reservation or within Indian country by a federally recognized Indian tribe to non-Indian consumers or to Indian consumers who are not members of the tribe selling the motor fuel. This exemption shall be administered as provided in section 142.821;

  (6) That portion of motor fuel used to operate equipment attached to a motor vehicle, if the motor fuel was placed into the fuel supply tank of a motor vehicle that has a common fuel reservoir for travel on a highway and for the operation of equipment, or if the motor fuel was placed in a separate fuel tank and used only for the operation of auxiliary equipment. The exemption for use pursuant to this subdivision shall be claimed by a refund claim filed by the consumer who shall provide evidence of an allocation of use satisfactory to the director;

  (7) Motor fuel acquired by a consumer out-of-state and carried into this state, retained within and consumed from the same vehicle fuel supply tank within which it was imported, except interstate motor fuel users;

  (8) Motor fuel which was purchased tax-paid and which was lost or destroyed as a direct result of a sudden and unexpected casualty or which had been accidentally contaminated so as to be unsalable as highway fuel as shown by proper documentation as required by the director. The exemption pursuant to this subdivision shall be refunded to the person or entity owning the motor fuel at the time of the contamination or loss. Such person shall notify the director in writing of such event and the amount of motor fuel lost or contaminated within ten days from the date of discovery of such loss or contamination, and within thirty days after such notice, shall file an affidavit sworn to by the person having immediate custody of such motor fuel at the time of the loss or contamination, setting forth in full the circumstances and the amount of the loss or contamination and such other information with respect thereto as the director may require;

  (9) Dyed diesel fuel or dyed kerosene used for an exempt purpose. This exemption shall be claimed as follows:

  (a) A supplier or importer shall take a deduction against motor fuel tax owed on their monthly report for those gallons of dyed diesel fuel or dyed kerosene imported or removed from a terminal or refinery destined for delivery to a point in this state as shown on the shipping papers;

  (b) This exemption shall be claimed by a deduction on the report of the supplier which is otherwise responsible for remitting the tax on removal of the product from a terminal or refinery in this state;

  (c) This exemption shall be claimed by the distributor, upon a refund application made to the director within three years. A refund claim may be made monthly or whenever the claim exceeds one thousand dollars.

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(L. 1998 S.B. 619, A.L. 1999 S.B. 414, A.L. 2005 S.B. 355)