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TITLE 34PUBLIC FINANCE
PART 1COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
CHAPTER 3TAX ADMINISTRATION
SUBCHAPTER OSTATE AND LOCAL SALES AND USE TAXES
RULE §3.334Local Sales and Use Taxes

    (A) The governing bodies of a district, as defined in Local Government Code, §43.0751, and a city may enter into a limited-purpose annexation agreement known as a strategic partnership agreement. Under this agreement, the city may impose sales and use tax within all or part of the boundaries of a district. Areas within a district that are annexed for this limited purpose are treated as though they are within the boundaries of the city for purposes of city sales and use tax.

    (B) Counties, transit authorities, and special purpose districts may not enter into strategic partnership agreements. Sales and use taxes imposed by those taxing jurisdictions do not apply in the limited-purpose annexed area as part of a strategic partnership agreement between a city and an authorized district. However, a county, special purpose district, or transit authority sales and use tax, or any combination of these three types of taxes, may apply at locations included in a strategic partnership agreement between a city and an authorized district if the tax is imposed in that area by the applicable jurisdiction as allowed under its own controlling authorities.

    (C) Prior to September 1, 2011, the term "district" was defined in Local Government Code, §43.0751 as a municipal utility district or a water control and improvement district. The definition was amended effective September 1, 2011, to mean a conservation and reclamation district operating under Water Code, Chapter 49.

(e) Place of business - special definitions. In addition to the general definition of the term "place of business" in subsection (a)(14) of this section, the following rules apply.

  (1) Administrative offices supporting traveling salespersons. Any outlet, office, or location operated by a seller that serves as a base of operations for a traveling salesperson or that provides administrative support to a traveling salesperson is a place of business.

  (2) Distribution centers, manufacturing plants, storage yards, warehouses, and similar facilities.

    (A) A distribution center, manufacturing plant, storage yard, warehouse, or similar facility operated by a seller at which the seller receives three or more orders for taxable items during the calendar year is a place of business.

    (B) If a salesperson who receives three or more orders for taxable items within a calendar year is assigned to work from, or to work at, a distribution center, manufacturing plant, storage yard, warehouse, or similar facility operated by a seller, then the facility is a place of business.

    (C) If a location that is a place of business of the seller, such as a sales office, is in the same building as a distribution center, manufacturing plant, storage yard, warehouse, or similar facility operated by a seller, then the entire facility is a place of business of the seller.

  (3) Kiosks. A kiosk is not a place of business for the purpose of determining where a sale is consummated for local tax purposes. A seller who owns or operates a kiosk in Texas is, however, engaged in business in this state as provided in §3.286 of this title.

  (4) Purchasing offices.

    (A) A purchasing office is not a place of business if the purchasing office exists solely to rebate a portion of the local sales and use tax imposed by Tax Code, Chapter 321 or 323 to a business with which it contracts; or if the purchasing office functions or exists to avoid the tax legally due under Tax Code, Chapter 321 or 323. A purchasing office does not exist solely to rebate a portion of the local sales and use tax or to avoid the tax legally due under Tax Code, Chapter 321 or 323 if the purchasing office provides significant business services, beyond processing invoices, to the contracting business, including logistics management, purchasing, inventory control, or other vital business services.

    (B) When the comptroller determines that a purchasing office is not a place of business, the sale of any taxable item is deemed to be consummated at the place of business of the seller from whom the purchasing office purchased the taxable item for resale and local sales and use taxes are due according to the following rules.

      (i) When taxable items are purchased from a Texas seller, local sales taxes are due based on the location of the seller's place of business where the sale is deemed to be consummated, as determined in accordance with subsection (h) of this section.

      (ii) When the sale of a taxable item is deemed to be consummated at a location outside of this state, local use tax is due based on the location where the items are first stored, used or consumed by the entity that contracted with the purchasing office in accordance with subsection (i) of this section.

    (C) In making a determination under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, as to whether a purchasing office provides significant business services to the contracting business, the comptroller will look to the books and records of the purchasing office to determine whether the total value of the business services provided to the contracting business equals or exceeds the total value of processing invoices. If the total value of the business services provided, including logistics management, purchasing, inventory control, or other vital business services, is less than the total value of the service to process invoices, then the purchasing office will be presumed not to be a place of business of the seller.

(f) Places of business and job sites crossed by local taxing jurisdiction boundaries.

  (1) Places of business crossed by local taxing jurisdiction boundaries. If a place of business is crossed by one or more local taxing jurisdiction boundaries so that a portion of the place of business is located within a taxing jurisdiction and the remainder of the place of business lies outside of the taxing jurisdiction, tax is due to the local taxing jurisdictions in which the sales office is located. If there is no sales office, sales tax is due to the local taxing jurisdictions in which any cash registers are located.

  (2) Job sites.

    (A) Residential repair and remodeling; new construction of an improvement to realty. When a contractor is improving real property under a separated contract, and the job site is crossed by the boundaries of one or more local taxing jurisdictions, the local taxes due on any separately stated charges for taxable items incorporated into the real property must be allocated to the local taxing jurisdictions based on the total square footage of the real property improvement located within each jurisdiction, including the square footage of any standalone structures that are part of the construction, repair, or remodeling project. For more information about tax due on materials used at residential and new construction job sites, refer to §3.291 of this title (relating to Contractors).

    (B) Nonresidential real property repair and improvement. When taxable services are performed to repair, remodel, or restore nonresidential real property, including a pipeline, transmission line, or parking lot, that is crossed by the boundaries of one or more local taxing jurisdictions, the local taxes due on the taxable services, including materials and any other charges connected to the services performed, must be allocated among the local taxing jurisdictions based upon the total mileage or square footage, as appropriate, of the repair, remodeling, or restoration project located in each jurisdiction. For more information about tax due on materials used at nonresidential real property repair and remodeling job sites, refer to §3.357 of this title (relating to Nonresidential Real Property Repair, Remodeling, and Restoration; Real Property Maintenance).

(g) Sellers' and purchasers' responsibilities for collecting or accruing local taxes.

  (1) Sale consummated in Texas; seller responsible for collecting local sales taxes and applicable local use taxes. When a sale of a taxable item is consummated at a location in Texas as provided by subsection (h) of this section, the seller must collect each local sales tax in effect at the location except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection. If the total rate of local sales tax due on the sale does not reach the two percent cap, and the seller ships or delivers the item into another local taxing jurisdiction in which the seller is engaged in business, then the seller is required to collect additional local use taxes due, if any, based on the location to which the item is shipped or delivered. For more information regarding local use taxes, refer to subsection (i) of this section.

  (2) Out-of-state sale; seller engaged in business in Texas. A seller who is engaged in business in this state is required to collect and remit local use taxes due, if any, on orders of taxable items shipped or delivered at the direction of the purchaser into a local taxing jurisdiction in this state in which the seller is engaged in business.

  (3) A seller is only required to collect local sales or use taxes for a local taxing jurisdiction in which the seller is engaged in business.

Cont'd...

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