Mesa, AZ   Post Office Box 1466, 85201

Amendments or Special Provisions:

1. Impose an additional 2.5% bed tax effective July 1, 1996. 3% additional rate is effective July 1, 2004. Effective January 1, 2011, the additional rate is 5%.

2. Jet fuel taxed at $0.03 per gallon.

3. Sec. 5-10-465(q) and Sec. 5-10-660(q) are amended as prescribed by a voter initiative to read:

(q) sales of food. For the purpose of these rules, unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions will apply:

(1) "Accessory food items" means coffee, tea, cocoa, carbonated and uncarbonated drinks, candy, condiments and spices, and other nonstaple foods.

(2) "Attendant" means a person, generally the employee of the retailer, who waits on the customers, or tends to their needs.

(3) "Automatic retailer" means a coin operated mechanical device or system which sells tangible personal property. Such device or system must itself vend or sell the items, i.e., a device or system which delivers the subject of the sale, or by automatic action physically delivers the thing sold. Vending machines are considered automatic retailers.

(4) "Caterer" means a person engaged in the business of serving meals, food and drinks on the premises used by his customer, but does not include employees hired by the hour or day.

(5) "Delicatessen" means a business which sells specialty food items, such as prepared cold meats, perishable food and grocery items kept under refrigeration.

(6) "Facilities for the consumption of food" means appropriate furniture, tableware, or parking areas for sitting both in or on the premises of the business, either in or out of a motor vehicle.

(7) "Food"

(A) Food is defined as those items that may be purchased from an eligible grocery business with food coupons, but in no event may such definition of food include

food for consumption on the premises, alcoholic beverages or tobacco. Even though alcoholic beverages and food for consumption on the premises may be intended for human consumption, such items are not considered food by the statutory provisions. In these rules, items that are considered food by the statutes, and therefore tax exempt if sold by a qualified retailer, shall be referred to as "tax exempt foods". Other items that may be intended for human consumption but are excluded from the definition of food by the statute, and are therefore subject to the sales tax, shall be referred to herein as "taxable foods".

(B) "Food" means items intended for human consumption. Food is deemed to be intended for human consumption when its intended or ordinary use is as a food for human consumption or is an ingredient used in preparing food for human consumption. For example, even though animal food may be used by some humans, its ordinary or intended use is not for human consumption. Also, even though vitamins and other medication may be ingested, its intended or ordinary use is as a health aid or therapeutic agent or a deficiency corrector and is not intended for use as food. Following is a numeration of items which the city does not consider food for human consumption:

(i) pet food and supplies

(ii) cosmetics and grooming items

(iii) tobacco products

(iv) soaps and paper products and household supplies

(v) dietary supplements such as vitamins or protein supplements

(vi) medicines

(vii) fertilizer

(8) "Food for consumption on the premises"

(A) "Food for consumption on the premises" means the following:

(i) Hot prepared food, including products, items or ingredients of food which are prepared and sold or intended to be sold in a heated condition. This also includes a combination of hot and cold food items or ingredients if a single price is charged by the retailer.

(ii) Hot or cold sandwiches including frozen sandwiches.

(iii) Food served by an attendant to be eaten at tables, chairs, benches, booths, stools, counters and within parking areas (for in-car consumption).

(iv) Food served with trays, glasses, dishes or other tableware. Food which is generally selected by the customer from available displays and then taken by the customer to a checkout stand for payment is not considered to be served by the retailer.

(v) Beverages sold in cups, glasses or open containers. Beverages shall include items such as milk shakes and ice cream floats.

(vi) Food sold by caterers.

(vii) Food sold within the premises of theaters, exhibitions, fairs, amusement parks, bowling alleys, athletic events, and other shows or contests and any businesses which charge admission, entrance or cover fees for exhibition, amusement, entertainment or instruction. While food for consumption on the premises includes any food sold within the premises of certain businesses, including businesses that charge admission, entrance or cover fees for exhibition, amusement, entertainment or instruction, food for consumption on premises does not include sales of tax exempt food by a qualified retailer within the premises of a full time educational institution that charges tuition for a full course of studies.

(B) Any item enumerated in subparagraph (a) which is sold on a take-out or to-go basis is still considered to be food for consumption on the premises and therefore taxable.

(9) "Food intended for home consumption" means food, other than food for consumption on the premises, which is usually intended to be consumed at home. Unless the taxpayer can establish to the contrary, food delivered by a retailer to an office or other business establishment shall not be considered food intended for home consumption.

(10) "Home" means a natural person's usual or habitual dwelling place, including rest homes, nursing homes, jails and other such institutions.

(11) "Premises" means the total space and facilities, including buildings, grounds and parking lot that are made available for use by the retailer for the purpose of consuming food sold by such retailer.

(12) "Qualified retailer"

(A) A qualified retailer or qualified retail business is one that may be eligible to sell tax exempt food without including the sale of tax exempt food items in its taxable base. A retailer other than a qualified retailer must pay a tax measured by the sale of otherwise exempt food even though the sale of such items would be exempt if sold by a qualified retailer.

(B) Qualified retailers are:

(i) An eligible grocery business, which includes retailers who are eligible to participate in the United States Department of Agriculture Food Stamp Program, whether such retailer actually participates in the food stamp program. If a retailer is eligible to participate in the food stamp program, but does not participate in such program, such retailer may only be an eligible grocery business if the retailer first makes application to the Arizona Department of Revenue (and is approved by the State) to sell food tax exempt. Examples of retailers that might be considered eligible grocery businesses include:

a) grocery stores

b) convenience stores

c) butcher shops

d) bakeries

e) dairy stores

f) cheese stores

g) farmer's markets

(ii) Retailers whose primary business is not the sale of food, but who sell food in a manner similar to grocery stores. This category includes stores such as department stores, drug stores, and gas stations.

(iii) Retailers who sell food and who do not provide any facilities for consumption of food on the premises. This category may include certain health food stores, and certain outlets retailing soda and other similar beverages in bottles or cans, but not cups.

(iv) Delicatessen business, if such retailer conducts his business so that the sale of tax exempt foods and other taxable items may be separately accounted for, through, for example, the use of two (2) cash registers, or a cash register with at least two (2) tax computing keys which are used to record taxable and tax exempt sales.

(v) A retailer who is a street or sidewalk vendor who uses a pushcart, mobile facility, motor vehicle, or other such conveyance. Such retailers include:

a) snackmobile

b) chuck wagon

c) mobile hot dog stands

(vi) Vending machines and other automatic retailers.

(13) "Staple food" means those food items intended for home preparation and consumption, which includes meats, poultry, fish, bread and bread stuffs, cereals, vegetables, fruits, fruit and vegetable juices, and dairy products.

(14) "Taxable foods" are items which may be intended for human consumption, but are still subject to the sales tax when sold. Examples of taxable foods would be alcoholic beverages, and food for consumption on the premises.

(15) Tax-exempt foods

(A) "Tax exempt foods" are generally those items of food intended for home consumption which, if purchased from an eligible grocery business, would be eligible as of January 1, 1998, to be purchased with food coupons issued by the United States Department of Agriculture.

(B) Tax-exempt foods shall also include any new items of food intended for human consumption which would have been eligible for purchase with food coupons issued by the United States Department of Agriculture if such items would have existed for sale on January 1, 1998.

(C) The following are examples of items which the city will consider as tax exempt food: bread and flour products; vegetables and vegetable products; candy and confectionery; sugar, sugar products and substitutes; cereal and cereal products; butter, oleomargarine, shortening and cooking oils; cocoa and cocoa products; coffee and coffee substitutes; milk and milk products; egg and egg products; tea; meat and meat products; spices, condiments, extracts and food colorings; fish and fish products; frozen foods; soft drinks and soda (including bottles on which a deposit is required to be paid); fruit and fruit products; packaged ice cream products; dietary substitutes; ice cubes and bottled water including carbonated and mineral water; purchases of seed and plants for use in gardens to produce food items for personal consumption.

(16) "Two tax computing keys" shall mean the mechanical or electronic function in a cash register which can separately record and accumulate taxable and nontaxable items without having the items presorted.

4. Amendment to Section 300 as follows: (Expires on December 31, 2014)

Sec. 5-10-300. Licensing requirements.

(a) The following persons shall make application to the Tax Collector for a Privilege License, accompanied by a non?refundable fee of fifty dollars ($50.00), and no person shall engage or continue in business or engage in such activities until he shall have such a license:

(1) every person desiring to engage or continue in business activities within the City upon which a Privilege Tax is imposed by this Chapter.

(2) every person, engaging or continuing in business within the City, storing or using tangible personal property in this City upon which a Use Tax is imposed by this Chapter.

(3) every person engaging in promoting, conducting or desiring to engage in, business activities at an event occurring at the Mesa Centennial Center upon which a privilege or use tax is imposed by this Chapter.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5-1-300(a), if a person engaged in promoting, conducting or desiring to engage in business activities at an event occurring at the Mesa Centennial Center has made application to the tax collector for a privilege license and paid the non-refundable fee of fifty dollars ($50.00), then each additional person desiring to engage in business activities at the same event occurring at the Mesa Centennial Center shall be required to make application to the Tax Collector for a privilege license accompanied by a non-refundable fee of five dollars ($5.00).

(c) A person engaged in business activities within the City which are subject to the City Privilege and Use Tax and who possesses a valid city privilege license shall not be required to obtain a separate license to promote, conduct or engage in business activities at an event occurring at the Mesa Centennial Center upon which a privilege or use tax is imposed by this Chapter.

(d) A person engaged in more than one activity subject to City Privilege and Use Taxes at any one business location is not required to obtain a separate license for each activity; provided that, at the time such person makes application for a license, he shall list on such application each category of activity in which he is engaged. The licensee shall inform the Tax Collector of any changes in his business activities, location, or mailing address within thirty (30) days.

(e) Limitation. The issuance of a Privilege License by the Tax Collector shall in no way be construed as permission to operate a business activity in violation of any other law or regulation to which such activity may be subject.

5. Amended Section 5-10-310 as follows (Effective January 1, 2009) (Expires on December 31, 2014)

Sec. 5-10-310: Licensing: duration of license; annual license fee; transferability; display; penalties; cancellation; renewal; late application provisions; actions.
(a) Except as provided in Section 5-10-320, the Privilege License shall be valid only for the calendar year in which it is issued unless renewed each year by filing the appropriate application for renewal and paying the renewal fee of twenty dollars ($20.00), which is due and pay able on January 1 and shall be considered delinquent if not received on or before the last business day of January. Application and payment for renewal must be received within the Tax Collector's office by such date to be deemed final and paid.

(b) The Privilege License shall be nontransferable between owners or locations and shall be on display to the public in the licensee's place of business.

(c) Any licensee who permits his license to expire through cancellation as provided in Section 5-10-320, by his request for cancellation, by surrender of the license, or by the cessation of the business activity for which the license was issued and who thereafter applies for a license shall be granted a new license as an original applicant and shall pay the current application license fee imposed by Section 5-10-300. Any licensee who loses or misplaces his Privilege License which is still in effect shall be charged the current application license fee for each reissuance of a license.

(d) (Reserved)

(e) Any licensee who fails to renew his license on or before the date provided in (A) above shall be deemed to be operating without a license following such due date, and shall be subject to all penalties imposed under this Chapter against persons required to be licensed and operating without a license. The non-licensed status may be removed by payment of an annual license fee in the amount of one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the fee imposed under (A) above.

(f) (Reserved)

(g) (Reserved)

(h) If any person required to be licensed under this Chapter fails to obtain a license on or before the conducting of any business activity requiring such license, such person shall be subject to a penalty in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of the annual license fee for each period of time for which such fee would have been imposed from and after the date on which such activity commenced until paid. This penalty shall be in addition to any other penalty imposed under this Chapter and must be paid prior to the issuance of any license.

(i) Notwithstanding the failure of any person to apply for a license and to remit all fees and penalties, if any, imposed herein, such person conducting a business activity subject to licensing without obtaining a license, shall be liable to the City for all applicable fees and penalties and shall be subject to the provisions of Sections 5-10-580 and 5-10-590, to the same extent as if said fees and penalties were taxes and penalties under such Sections.

(j) (Reserved)

6. On November 6, 2018, a majority of voters in the city of Mesa approved Question 2 to increase the Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) to 2.0%. The rate increases detailed in Ordinance 5478 will provide funds soley for Mesa Police, Mesa Fire and Medical Services, Personnel, Equipment, Training and Related Costs.

This change has an effective date of March 1, 2019.