The Florida Senate

550.0951  Payment of daily license fee and taxes.--

(1)(a)  DAILY LICENSE FEE.--Each person engaged in the business of conducting race meetings or jai alai games under this chapter, hereinafter referred to as the "permitholder," "licensee," or "permittee," shall pay to the division, for the use of the division, a daily license fee on each live or simulcast pari-mutuel event of $100 for each horserace and $80 for each dograce and $40 for each jai alai game conducted at a racetrack or fronton licensed under this chapter. Effective October 1, 1996, in addition to the tax exemption specified in s. 550.09514(1) of $360,000 or $500,000 per greyhound permitholder per state fiscal year, each greyhound permitholder shall receive in the current state fiscal year a tax credit equal to the number of live greyhound races conducted in the previous state fiscal year times the daily license fee specified for each dograce in this subsection applicable for the previous state fiscal year. This tax credit and the exemption in s. 550.09514(1) shall be applicable to the tax on live handle under subsection (3) except during any charity or scholarship performances conducted pursuant to s. 550.0351. Effective October 1, 1996, each permitholder shall pay daily license fees not to exceed $500 per day on any simulcast races or games on which such permitholder accepts wagers regardless of the number of out-of-state events taken or the number of out-of-state locations from which such events are taken. This license fee shall be deposited with the Treasurer to the credit of the Pari-mutuel Wagering Trust Fund.

(b)  Each permitholder authorized a maximum tax savings of $500,000 per state fiscal year pursuant to s. 550.09514(1) or the greyhound permitholder that had the lowest live handle during the preceding state fiscal year, which cannot utilize the full amount of the daily license fee credit, may, after notifying the division in writing, elect once per state fiscal year on a form provided by the division to transfer such credit or any portion thereof to any greyhound permitholder which acts as a host track to such permitholder for the purpose of intertrack wagering. Once an election to transfer such credit is filed with the division it shall not be rescinded. The division shall disapprove the credit transfer when the amount of credit or portion thereof is unavailable to the transferring permitholder or when the permitholder, who is entitled to transfer the credit or who is entitled to receive the credit, owes taxes to the state pursuant to a deficiency letter or administrative complaint issued by the division. Upon approval of the transfer by the division, the transferred tax credit shall be effective for the first performance of the next biweekly pay period as specified in subsection (5). The daily license fee credit transferred to such host track may be applied by such host track against its taxes on live racing as provided in this subsection. The greyhound permitholder host track to which such daily license fee credit is transferred shall reimburse such permitholder the exact monetary value of such transferred credit as actually applied against the taxes of the host track. The division shall ensure that all transfers of credit are made in accordance with this subsection and shall have the authority to adopt rules to ensure the implementation of this section.

(2)  ADMISSION TAX.--

(a)  An admission tax equal to 15 percent of the admission charge for entrance to the permitholder's facility and grandstand area, or 10 cents, whichever is greater, is imposed on each person attending a horserace, dograce, or jai alai game. The permitholder shall be responsible for collecting the admission tax.

(b)  No admission tax under this chapter or chapter 212 shall be imposed on any free passes or complimentary cards issued to persons for which there is no cost to the person for admission to pari-mutuel events.

(c)  A permitholder may issue tax-free passes to its officers, officials, and employees or other persons actually engaged in working at the racetrack, including accredited press representatives such as reporters and editors, and may also issue tax-free passes to other permitholders for the use of their officers and officials. The permitholder shall file with the division a list of all persons to whom tax-free passes are issued under this paragraph.

(3)  TAX ON HANDLE.--Each permitholder shall pay a tax on contributions to pari-mutuel pools, the aggregate of which is hereinafter referred to as "handle," on races or games conducted by the permitholder. The tax is imposed daily and is based on the total contributions to all pari-mutuel pools conducted during the daily performance. If a permitholder conducts more than one performance daily, the tax is imposed on each performance separately.

(a)  The tax on handle for thoroughbred horse racing, harness horse racing, and quarter horse racing is 3.3 percent of the handle.

(b)  The tax on handle for dogracing is 7.6 percent of the handle and for jai alai is 7.1 percent of the handle.

(c)1.  The tax on handle for intertrack wagering is 3.3 percent of the handle if the host track is a horse track, 7.6 percent if the host track is a dog track, and 7.1 percent if the host track is a jai alai fronton. The tax on handle for intertrack wagering on rebroadcasts of simulcast horseraces is 2.4 percent of the handle. The tax shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund.

2.  Effective October 1, 1996, the tax on handle for intertrack wagers accepted by any dog track located in an area of the state in which there are only three permitholders, all of which are greyhound permitholders, located in three contiguous counties, from any greyhound permitholder also located within such area or any dog track or jai alai fronton located as specified in s. 550.615(6) or (8), on races or games received from the same class of permitholder located within the same market area is 6 percent if the host facility is a greyhound permitholder and, if the host facility is a jai alai permitholder, the rate shall be 6.1 percent except that it shall be 2.3 percent on handle at such time as the total tax on intertrack handle paid to the division by the permitholder during the current state fiscal year exceeds the total tax on intertrack handle paid to the division by the permitholder during the 1992-1993 state fiscal year.

3.  Any guest track that imposes a surcharge on each winning ticket cashed pursuant to s. 550.6335 shall pay an additional tax equal to 5 percent of the surcharge so imposed. Any taxes so imposed shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund.

(4)  BREAKS TAX.--Effective October 1, 1996, each permitholder conducting jai alai performances shall pay a tax equal to the breaks. The "breaks" represents that portion of each pari-mutuel pool which is not redistributed to the contributors or withheld by the permitholder as commission.

(5)  PAYMENT AND DISPOSITION OF FEES AND TAXES.--Payment for the admission tax, tax on handle, and the breaks tax imposed by this section shall be paid to the division. The division shall deposit these sums with the Treasurer, one-half being credited to the Pari-mutuel Wagering Trust Fund, hereby established, and one-half being credited to the General Revenue Fund. The permitholder shall remit to the division payment for the daily license fee, the admission tax, the tax on handle, and the breaks tax. Such payments shall be remitted by 3 p.m. Friday of each week for taxes and fees imposed and collected for the preceding Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, and by 3 p.m. Wednesday of each week for taxes imposed and collected for the preceding Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Permitholders shall file a report under oath by the 5th day of each calendar month for all taxes remitted during the preceding calendar month. Such payments shall be accompanied by a report under oath showing the total of all admissions, the pari-mutuel wagering activities for the preceding calendar month, and such other information as may be prescribed by the division.

(6)  PENALTIES.--

(a)  The failure of any permitholder to make payments as prescribed in subsection (5) is a violation of this section, and the permitholder may be subjected by the division to a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each day the tax payment is not remitted. All penalties imposed and collected shall be deposited in the General Revenue Fund. If a permitholder fails to pay penalties imposed by order of the division under this subsection, the division may suspend or revoke the license of the permitholder, cancel the permit of the permitholder, or deny issuance of any further license or permit to the permitholder.

(b)  In addition to the civil penalty prescribed in paragraph (a), any willful or wanton failure by any permitholder to make payments of the daily license fee, admission tax, tax on handle, breaks tax, or surtax constitutes sufficient grounds for the division to suspend or revoke the license of the permitholder, to cancel the permit of the permitholder, or to deny issuance of any further license or permit to the permitholder.

History.--s. 15, ch. 92-348; s. 2, ch. 94-328; ss. 4, 26, ch. 96-364; s. 2, ch. 98-190; ss. 5, 6, ch. 98-217.