(a) General. – When used in this article, words defined in subsection (b) of this section have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where a different meaning is provided in this article or the context in which the word is used clearly indicates that a different meaning is intended by the Legislature.

(b) Definitions:

(1) "Banking business" or "financial organization" shall mean any bank, banking association, trust company, industrial loan company, small loan company or licensee, building and loan association, savings and loan association, finance company, investment company, investment broker or dealer, and any other similar business organization whose assets consist primarily of intangible personal property and whose gross income consists primarily of dividends, interest and other charges derived from the use of money or credit.

(2) "Business" includes all activities engaged in or caused to be engaged in with the object of gain or economic benefit, either direct or indirect. "Business" does not include a casual sale by a person who is not engaged in the business of selling the type of property involved in such casual sale. "Business" includes the production of natural resources or manufactured products which are used or consumed by the producer or manufacturer and includes the activities of a banking business or financial organization.

(3) (A) "Gross income" means the gross receipts of the taxpayer, other than a banking or financial business, received as compensation for personal services and the gross receipts of the taxpayer derived from trade, business, commerce or sales and the value proceeding or accruing from the sale of tangible property (real or personal), or service, or both, all receipts from the investment of the capital of the business, including rentals, royalties, fees, reimbursed costs or expenses or other emoluments however designated and including all interest, carrying charges, fees or other like income, however denominated, derived by the taxpayer from repetitive carrying of accounts, in the regular course and conduct of its business , and extension of credit in connection with the sale of any tangible personal property or service, and without any deductions on account of the cost of property sold, the cost of materials used, labor costs, taxes, royalties paid in cash or in kind or otherwise, interest or discount paid or any other expenses whatsoever: Provided, That gross income shall not include contributions to capital.

(B) (i) "Gross income of a banking or financial business” means the gross income received from interest, premiums, discounts, dividends, service fees or charges, commissions, fines, rents from real or tangible personal property, however denominated, royalties, charges for bookkeeping or data processing, receipts from check sales, charges or fees, and receipts from the sale of tangible personal property.

(ii) “Gross income of a banking or financial business” does not include:

(I) Interest received on the obligations of the United States, its agencies and instrumentalities,

(II) Interest received on the obligations of this state, or any political subdivision of this state, or

(III) Interest received on investments or loans primarily secured by first mortgages or deeds of trust on residential property occupied by nontransients; however, all interest derived from these activities shall be reported on the return of a person taxable under the provisions of this section.

(C) "Gross proceeds of sales" means the value, whether in money or other property, proceeding from the sale of tangible property, without any deduction for the cost of property sold or expenses of any kind: Provided, That bad debts shall be allowed as a deduction except that the amount of any bad debt recovery shall be included in gross proceeds of sale.

(D) The terms "gross income" and "gross proceeds of sales" do not include:

(i) Cash discounts allowed and taken on sales;

(ii) The proceeds of sale of goods, wares or merchandise returned by customers when the sale price is refunded either in cash or by credit;

(iii) The amount allowed as "trade-in value" for any article accepted as part payment for any article sold;

(iv) Excise taxes imposed by this state; or

(v) Money or other property received or held by a professional person for the sole use and benefit of a client or another person or money received by the taxpayer on behalf of a bank or other financial institution for the repayment of a debt of another.

(4) "Person" or "company,'' herein used interchangeably, includes any individual, firm, copartnership, partnership, limited liability company, joint adventure, association, corporation, trust or any other group or combination acting as a unit, and the plural as well as the singular number, unless the intention to give a more limited meaning is disclosed by the context.

(5) "Sale," "sales" or "selling" means any transfer of the ownership of or title to property, whether for money or in exchange for other property.

(6) "Selling at wholesale" or "wholesale sales" means and includes:

(A) Sales of any tangible personal property for the purpose of resale in the form of tangible personal property;

(B) Sales of machinery, supplies or materials which are to be directly consumed or used by the purchaser in the conduct of any business or activity which is subject to the tax imposed by this article; and

(C) Sales of any tangible personal property to the United States of America, its agencies and instrumentalities or to the State of West Virginia, its institutions or political subdivisions.

(7) "Service business or calling" means all activities engaged in by a person for other persons for a consideration which involve the rendering of a service as distinguished from the sale of tangible property, but does not include the services rendered by an employee to his or her employer. This term includes, but is not limited to:

(A) Persons engaged in manufacturing, compounding or preparing for sale, profit or commercial use, articles, substances or commodities which are owned by another or others;

(B) Persons engaged as independent contractors in producing natural resource products which are owned by another or others, as personal property, immediately after the same are severed, extracted, reduced to possession and produced;

(C) The repetitive carrying of accounts, in the regular course and conduct of business, and extension of credit in connection with the sale of any tangible personal property or service.

(8) "Taxpayer" means any person liable for the tax imposed by this article;

(9) "Tax year" or "taxable year" means the calendar year, unless permission is obtained from the Tax Commissioner to use the taxpayer's fiscal year as the tax period;

(10) "Electronic filing" or "e-filing" means filing using electronic technology such as computer modem, magnetic media, optical disk, facsimile machine, telephone or other technology approved by the Tax Commissioner, in such manner as he or she deems acceptable. Any return required to be filed electronically under this article may contain an electronic signature, if a signature is required.

(a) If any person liable for the tax ships or transports its products or any part thereof out of the state without making sale of such products, the value of the products in the condition or form in which they exist immediately before transportation out of the state shall be the basis for the assessment of the tax. The tax commissioner may prescribe rules for ascertaining such value.

(b) In determining value, however, of sales between affiliated companies or persons, or under other circumstances where the relation between the buyer and seller is such that the gross proceeds from the sale do not reflect the true value of the subject matter of the sale, the tax commissioner may prescribe rules for determining the value on which the privilege tax shall be levied, corresponding as nearly as possible to the gross proceeds from the sale of products where no common interest exists between the buyer and seller but the circumstances and conditions are otherwise similar.

(c) Upon every person engaging or continuing within this state in the business of manufacturing, compounding or preparing for sale, profit, or commercial use, either directly or through the activity of others in whole or in part, any article or articles, substance or substances, commodity or commodities, or newspaper publishing (including all gross income or proceeds of sale from circulation and advertising), the measure of this tax is the value of the entire product manufactured, compounded or prepared in the state for sale, profit or commercial use, regardless of the place of sale or the fact that deliveries may be made to points outside the state.

(d) In those instances in which the same person partially manufactures, compounds or prepares products within this state and partially manufactures, compounds or prepares such products outside of this state, the measure of the tax shall be that proportion of the sale price of the product that the payroll cost of manufacturing within this state bears to the entire payroll cost of manufacturing the product; or, at the option of the taxpayer, the measure of his or her tax under this section shall be the proportion of the sales value of the articles that the cost of operations in West Virginia bears to the full cost of manufacture of the articles.

§11-28-4. Exemptions.

The provisions of this article do not apply to:

(a) Insurance companies which pay the State of West Virginia a tax on premiums. However, this exemption does not apply to portions of the gross income of insurance companies received for the use of real property, other than property in this state in which the insurance company maintains its office or offices, whether that income is in the form of rentals or royalties;

(b) Nonprofit cemetery companies organized and operated for the exclusive benefit of their members;

(c) Fraternal societies, organizations and associations organized and operated for the exclusive benefit of their members and not for profit. This exemption does not apply to gross income arising from the sale of alcoholic liquor, food and related services of such fraternal societies, organizations and associations which are licensed as private clubs under the provisions of article seven, chapter sixty of this code, except that funds derived from the licensed charitable gaming activities of such organizations are exempt;

(d) Corporations, associations and societies organized and operated exclusively for religious or charitable purposes: Provided, That this exemption does not apply to gross income derived from engaging in unrelated business activity as defined for federal income tax purposes;

(e) Production credit associations, organized under the provisions of the federal "Farm Credit Act of 1933"; or

(f) Any credit union organized under the provisions of chapter thirty-one or any other chapter of this code: Except, that the exemptions of this section shall not apply to corporations or cooperative associations organized under the provisions of article four, chapter nineteen of this code.

§11-28-5. Computation of tax; payment.

The tax imposed by this article is due and payable as follows:

(a) For taxpayers whose estimated tax under this article exceeds $1,000 per month, the tax shall be due and payable in monthly installments on or before the last day of the month following the month in which the tax accrued. Each such taxpayer shall, on or before the last day of each month, make out an estimate of the tax for which it is liable for the preceding month and submit it with a remittance in the form prescribed by the Tax Commissioner, of the amount of tax to the office of the commissioner.

(b) For taxpayers whose estimated tax under this article does not exceed $1,000 per month, the tax shall be due and payable in quarterly installments within one month from the expiration of each quarter in which the tax accrued. Each such taxpayer shall, within one month from the expiration of each quarter, make out an estimate of the tax for which he or she is liable for such quarter, sign the same and mail it together with a remittance, in the form prescribed by the Tax Commissioner, of the amount of tax to the office of the commissioner.

(c) When the total tax for which any person is liable under this article does not exceed $200 in any year, the taxpayer may pay the same quarterly as described in subsection (b) of this section or, with the consent in writing of the Tax Commissioner, at the end of the month next following the close of the tax year.

(d) The Tax Commissioner may require the return and payment for periods of shorter duration than those prescribed above if it is deemed necessary to ensure payment of the tax.

(e) The forms shall be filed electronically, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Tax Commissioner’s rule on use and acceptance of electronic records. Any taxpayer required to file and pay electronically who fails to do so, shall be required to pay a money penalty in an amount equal to five percent of the tax due.

It shall be unlawful for any person to refuse to make the return required by section six of this article; or to make any false or fraudulent return or false statement in any return, with intent to defraud the state or to evade the payment of the tax, or any part thereof, imposed by this article; or for any person to aid or abet another in any attempt to evade the payment of the tax, or any part thereof, imposed by this article; or for the president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of any corporation to make or permit to be made for any corporation or association any false return, or any false statement in any return required in this article, with the intent to evade the payment of any tax hereunder. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not exceeding one year in the regional jail or punished by both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court, within the limitations aforesaid. In addition to the foregoing penalties, any person who shall knowingly swear to or verify any false or fraudulent return, or any return containing any false or fraudulent statement with the intent aforesaid, shall be guilty of the offense of false swearing, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished in the manner provided by law. Any corporation for which a false return, or a return containing a false statement, as aforesaid, shall be made, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000. The circuit and criminal courts of the county in which the offender resides, or, if a corporation, in which it carries on business, shall have concurrent jurisdiction to enforce this section.

(a) Each and every provision of this article is repealed for all tax periods beginning on and after July 1, 2020: Provided, That the provisions of this article shall remain in effect on and after July 1, 2020, so long as the combined balance of funds as of June 30, 2019, or any subsequent June 30, in the Revenue Fund Shortfall Reserve Fund and the Revenue Fund Shortfall Reserve Fund - Part B established in section twenty, article two, chapter eleven-b of this code is less than fifteen percent of the General Revenue Fund budgeted for the fiscal year of the state commencing July 1, 2019 or any fiscal year commencing thereafter. However, tax liabilities, if any, arising for taxable years or portions thereof ending prior to a July 1 termination date shall be determined, administered, assessed and collected as if the taxes imposed by this article had terminated; and the rights and duties of the taxpayer and the State of West Virginia shall be fully and completely preserved.

(b) Persons who are calendar year taxpayers under this article shall file their annual return for the calendar year of the termination date, on or before July 31 of that calendar year, and remit the amount of any taxes shown thereon to be due, unless an extension of time for filing is authorized by the Tax Commissioner.

(c) Persons who are fiscal year taxpayers shall similarly file an annual return on or before July 31 of the termination year, for their short taxable year which ended June 30 of that year, and remit the amount of any taxes shown thereon to be due, unless an extension of time for filing is authorized by the Tax Commissioner.

(d) Persons who keep their records using the accrual method of accounting shall file their annual return for the full or short taxable year ending June 30 of the termination year, computing their tax liability under that method of accounting. A taxpayer shall file an amended return for the termination year and pay any additional taxes due within thirty days after determining that gross income was under-reported on the annual return.

(e) Persons who keep their records using the cash method of accounting may file their annual return for the full or short taxable year ending June 30 of the termination year, computing their tax liability under the cash method of accounting: Provided, That the taxpayer shall file a supplemental return for the termination year within one month after the close of each calendar quarter during each ensuing year in which the taxpayer receives gross income for any activity or portion thereof completed prior to July 1 of the termination year, and pay any additional taxes shown on the supplemental return to be due. The purpose of this requirement is to minimize the advantage or disadvantage associated with the different methods of accounting when the commercial activity tax is repealed.