Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 35 - REVENUE
35 ILCS 610/ - Messages Tax Act.

(35 ILCS 610/1) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.1)
Sec. 1.
For the purposes of this Act:
"Department" means the Department of Revenue of the State of
Illinois.
"Director" means the Director of Revenue for the Department of
Revenue of the State of Illinois.
"Taxpayer" means a person engaged in the business of transmitting
messages.
"Person" means any natural individual, firm, trust, estate,
partnership, association, joint stock company, joint adventure,
corporation, limited liability company, or a receiver, trustee, guardian or
other representative appointed by order of any court, or any city, town, county
or other political subdivision of this State.
"Invested capital" means that amount equal to (i) the average of the
balances at the beginning and end of each taxable period of the taxpayer's
total stockholder's equity and total long-term debt, less investments in
and advances to all corporations, as set forth on the balance sheets
included in the taxpayer's annual report to the Illinois Commerce
Commission for the taxable period; (ii) multiplied by a fraction determined
under Sections 301 and 304(a) of the "Illinois Income Tax Act" and reported
on the Illinois income tax return for the taxable period ending in or with
the taxable period in question. However, notwithstanding the income tax
return reporting requirement stated above, beginning July 1, 1979, no
taxpayer's denominators used to compute the sales, property or payroll
factors under subsection (a) of Section 304 of the Illinois Income Tax Act
shall include payroll, property or sales of any corporate entity other than
the taxpayer for the purposes of determining an allocation for the invested
capital tax. This amendatory Act of 1982, Public Act 82-1024, is not
intended to and does not make any change in the meaning of any provision of
this Act, it having been the intent of the General Assembly in initially
enacting the definition of "invested capital" to provide for apportionment
of the invested capital of each company, based solely upon the sales,
property and payroll of that company.
In the case of a telephone cooperative subject to the tax imposed by Section
2a.1, "invested capital" means an amount equal to the product determined
by multiplying, (i) the average of the balances at the beginning and end
of the taxable period of the taxpayer's total equity (including memberships,
patronage capital, operating margins, non-operating margins, other margins
and other equities), as set forth on the balance sheets included in the
taxpayer's annual report to the United States Department of Agriculture
Rural Electrification Administration (established pursuant to the federal
Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended), by (ii) the fraction determined
under Sections 301 and 304 (a) of the Illinois Income Tax Act, as amended,
for the taxable period.
"Taxable period" means each period which ends after August 14, 1979
and which is covered by an annual report filed by the taxpayer
with the Illinois Commerce Commission. In the case of a telephone cooperative
subject to the tax imposed by Section 2a.1, "taxable period" means each
calendar year ending after August 14, 1979 and covered by an annual report
filed by the taxpayer with the United States Department of Agriculture Rural
Electrification Administration. In the case of any taxpayer not subject
to the jurisdiction of the Illinois Commerce Commission, "taxable period"
means each calendar year ending after August 14, 1979.

(Source: P.A. 87-205; 88-480.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/2a.1) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.2a.1)
Sec. 2a.1.
(Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 87-313. Repealed by P.A. 90-154, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/2a.2) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.2a.2)
Sec. 2a.2.
Annual return, collection and payment.
A return with
respect to the tax imposed by Section 2a.1 shall be made by every person
for any taxable period for which such person is liable for such tax.
Such return shall be made on such forms as the Department shall
prescribe and shall contain the following information:
The returns prescribed by this Section shall be due and shall be
filed with the Department not later than the 15th day of the third
month following the close of the taxable period. The taxpayer making
the return herein provided for shall, at the time of making such return,
pay to the Department the remaining amount of tax herein imposed and due
for the taxable period. Each taxpayer shall make estimated quarterly
payments on the 15th day of the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth months of
each taxable period. Such estimated payments shall be 25% of the tax
liability for the immediately preceding taxable period or the tax liability
that would have been imposed in the immediately preceding taxable period if
this amendatory Act of 1979 had been in effect. All moneys received by the
Department under Sections 2a.1 and 2a.2 shall be paid into the Personal
Property Tax Replacement Fund in the State Treasury.

(Source: P.A. 87-205.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/2a.3)
Sec. 2a.3.
Sunset of exemptions, credits, and deductions.
The application
of every exemption, credit, and deduction against tax imposed by this Act that
becomes law after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1994 shall be
limited by a reasonable and appropriate sunset date. A taxpayer is not
entitled to take the exemption, credit, or deduction beginning on the sunset
date and thereafter. If a reasonable and appropriate sunset date is not
specified in the Public Act that creates the exemption, credit, or deduction, a
taxpayer shall not be entitled to take the exemption, credit, or deduction
beginning 5 years after the effective date of the Public Act creating the
exemption, credit, or deduction and thereafter.

(Source: P.A. 88-660, eff. 9-16-94.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/5) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.5)
Sec. 5.

All of the provisions of Sections 4, 5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f,
5g, 5i, 5j, 6b, and 6c of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act
which are not inconsistent
with this Act, and Section 3-7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act
shall apply, as far as practicable, to the subject matter of this Act to
the same extent as if such provisions were included herein. References in
such incorporated Sections of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act to
retailers, to sellers or to persons engaged in the business of selling
tangible personal property mean persons engaged in the business of
transmitting messages when used in this Act. References in such
incorporated Sections of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act to purchasers of
tangible personal property mean purchasers of the service of transmitting
messages when used in this Act. References in such incorporated Sections of
the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act to sales of tangible personal property
mean the transmitting of messages when used in this Act.

(Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/6) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.6)
Sec. 6.
If it appears, after claim therefor filed with the Department,
that an amount of tax or penalty or interest has been paid which was not due
under this Act, whether as the result of a mistake of fact or an error of law,
except as hereinafter provided, then the Department shall issue a credit
memorandum or refund to the person who made the erroneous payment or, if
that person has died or become a person under legal disability, to his or
her legal representative, as such.
If it is determined that the Department should issue a credit or refund
under this Act, the Department may first apply the amount thereof against
any amount of tax or penalty or interest due hereunder from the person
entitled to such credit or refund. For this purpose, if proceedings are
pending to determine whether or not any tax or penalty or interest is due
under this Act from such person, the Department may withhold issuance of
the credit or refund pending the final disposition of such proceedings and
may apply such credit or refund against any amount found to be due to the
Department as a result of such proceedings. The balance, if any, of the
credit or refund shall be issued to the person entitled thereto.
If no tax or penalty or interest is due and no proceeding is pending to
determine whether such person is indebted to the Department for tax or
penalty or interest, the credit memorandum or refund shall be issued to the
claimant; or (in the case of a credit memorandum) the credit memorandum may
be assigned and set over by the lawful holder thereof, subject to
reasonable rules of the Department, to any other person who is subject to
this Act, and the amount thereof shall be applied by the Department against
any tax or penalty or interest due or to become due under this Act from
such assignee.
As to any claim for credit or refund filed with the Department on or
after each January 1 and July 1, no amounts erroneously paid more than 3
years prior to such January 1 and July 1, respectively, shall be credited
or refunded, except that if both the Department and the taxpayer have agreed
to an
extension of time to issue a notice of tax liability under this Act, the claim
may be filed at any time prior to the expiration of the period agreed upon. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act to the contrary, for any period included in a claim for credit or refund for which the statute of limitations for issuing a notice of tax liability under this Act will expire less than 6 months after the date a taxpayer files the claim for credit or refund, the statute of limitations is automatically extended for 6 months from the date it would have otherwise expired.
Claims for credit or refund shall be filed upon forms provided by the
Department. As soon as practicable after any claim for credit or refund is
filed, the Department shall examine the same and determine the amount of
credit or refund to which the claimant is entitled and shall notify the
claimant of such determination, which amount shall be prima facie correct.
Any credit or refund that is allowed under this Act shall bear interest
at the rate and in the manner specified in the Uniform Penalty and Interest
Act.
In case the Department determines that the claimant is entitled to a
refund, such refund shall be made only from such appropriation as may be
available for that purpose. If it appears unlikely that the amount
appropriated would permit everyone having a claim allowed during the period
covered by such appropriation to elect to receive a cash refund, the
Department, by rule or regulation, shall provide for the payment of refunds
in hardship cases and shall define what types of cases qualify as hardship
cases.

(Source: P.A. 102-40, eff. 6-25-21.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/7) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.7)
Sec. 7.

Every taxpayer under this Act shall keep books, records, papers
and other documents which are adequate to reflect the information which
such taxpayers are required by Section 3 of this Act to report to the
Department by filing monthly returns with the Department. All books and
records and other papers and documents required by this Act to be kept
shall be kept in the American language and shall, at all times during
business hours of the day, be subject to inspection by the Department or
its duly authorized agents and employees. Books and records reflecting
gross receipts received during any period with respect to which the
Department is authorized to establish liability as provided in Sections 4
and 5 of this Act shall be preserved until the expiration of such period
unless the Department, in writing, authorizes their destruction or disposal
at an earlier date.
The Department may, upon written authorization of the Director, destroy
any returns or any records, papers or memoranda pertaining to such returns
upon the expiration of any period covered by such returns with respect to
which the Department is authorized to establish liability.

(Source: Laws 1945, p. 1244.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/8) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.8)
Sec. 8.

For the purpose of administering and enforcing the provisions of
this Act, the Department or any officer or employee of the Department
designated, in writing, by the Director thereof, may hold investigations
and hearings concerning any matters covered by this Act and may examine any
books, papers, records or memoranda bearing upon the business transacted by
any such taxpayer and may require the attendance of such taxpayer or any
officer or employee of such taxpayer, or of any person having knowledge of
such business, and may take testimony and require proof for its
information. In the conduct of any investigation or hearing, neither the
Department nor any officer or employee thereof shall be bound by the
technical rules of evidence, and no informality in any proceeding, or in
the manner of taking testimony, shall invalidate any order, decision, rule
or regulation made or approved or confirmed by the Department. The Director
or any officer or employee thereof shall have power to administer oaths to
any such persons. The books, papers, records and memoranda of the
Department, or parts thereof, may be proved in any hearing, investigation
or legal proceeding by a reproduced copy thereof under the certificate of
the Director. Such reproduced copy shall without further proof, be admitted
into evidence before the Department or in any legal proceeding.

(Source: Laws 1965, p. 198.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/9) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.9)
Sec. 9.

No person shall be excused from testifying or from producing any
books, papers, records or memoranda in any investigation or upon any
hearing, when ordered to do so by the Department or any officer or employee
thereof, upon the ground that the testimony or evidence, documentary or
otherwise, may tend to incriminate him or subject him to a criminal
penalty, but no person shall be prosecuted or subjected to any criminal
penalty for, or on account of, any transaction made or thing concerning
which he may testify or produce evidence, documentary or otherwise, before
the Department or any officer or employee thereof; provided, that such
immunity shall extend only to a natural person who, in obedience to a
subpoena, gives testimony under oath or produces evidence, documentary or
otherwise, under oath. No person so testifying shall be exempt from
prosecution and punishment for perjury committed in so testifying.

(Source: Laws 1945, p. 1244.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/10) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.10)
Sec. 10.

The Department or any officer or employee of the Department
designated, in writing, by the Director thereof, shall at its or his or
her own instance, or on the written request of any party to the proceeding, issue
subpoenas requiring the attendance of and the giving of testimony by
witnesses, and subpoenas duces tecum requiring the production of books,
papers, records or memoranda. All subpoenas issued under this Act may be
served by any person of full age. The fees of witnesses for attendance and
travel shall be the same as the fees of witnesses before the circuit court
of this State; such fees to be paid when the witness is excused from
further attendance. When the witness is subpoenaed at the instance of the
Department or any officer or employee thereof, such fees shall be paid in
the same manner as other expenses of the Department, and when the witness
is subpoenaed at the instance of any taxpayer to any such proceeding the
Department may require that the cost of service of the subpoena and the fee
of the witness be borne by the taxpayer at whose instance the witness is
summoned. In such case, the Department, in its discretion, may require a
deposit to cover the cost of such service and witness fees. A subpoena
issued as aforesaid shall be served in the same manner as a subpoena issued
out of a court.
Any circuit court of this State, upon the application
of the Department or any officer or employee thereof may, in its
discretion, compel the attendance of witnesses, the production of books,
papers, records or memoranda and the giving of testimony before the
Department or any officer or employee thereof conducting an investigation
or holding a hearing authorized by this Act, by an attachment for contempt,
or otherwise, in the same manner as production of evidence may be compelled
before the court.
The Department or any officer or employee thereof, or any party in an
investigation or hearing before the Department, may cause the depositions
of witnesses residing within or without the State to be taken in the manner
prescribed by law for like depositions in civil actions in courts of this
State, and, to that end, compel the attendance of witnesses and the
production of books, papers, records or memoranda.

(Source: P.A. 83-334.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/11) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.11)
Sec. 11. All information received by the Department from returns filed under this
Act, or from any investigations conducted under this Act, shall be
confidential, except for official purposes, and any person who divulges any
such information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper judicial
order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be guilty of a Class B
misdemeanor.
Provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director
from publishing or making available to the public the names and addresses
of taxpayers filing returns under this Act, or from publishing or making
available reasonable statistics concerning the operation of the tax wherein
the contents of returns are grouped into aggregates in such a way that the
information contained in any individual return shall not be disclosed.
And provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the
Director from making available to the United States Government or any
officer or agency thereof, for exclusively official purposes, information
received by the Department in the administration of this Act.
The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or his authorized
agents, for official use, of returns filed and information related thereto
under this Act is deemed to be an official purpose within the meaning of
this Section.
The Director may make available to any State agency, including the
Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons to engage in any occupation,
information that a person licensed by such agency has failed to file
returns under this Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein,
or has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or interest due
under this Act. An assessment is final when all proceedings in court for
review of such assessment have terminated or the time for the taking
thereof has expired without such proceedings being instituted.
The Director shall make available for public
inspection in the Department's principal office and for publication, at cost,
administrative decisions issued on or after January
1, 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner so that the
following
taxpayer information is not disclosed:
The Director shall determine the
appropriate extent of the
deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the taxpayer does not submit
deletions,
the Director shall make only the deletions specified in paragraph (1).
The Director shall make available for public inspection and publication an
administrative decision within 180 days after the issuance of the
administrative
decision. The term "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in
Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. Costs collected
under this Section shall be paid into the Tax Compliance and Administration
Fund.
Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director from divulging
information to any person pursuant to a request or authorization made by the
taxpayer or by an authorized representative of the taxpayer.

(Source: P.A. 94-1074, eff. 12-26-06.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/12) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.12)
Sec. 12.

The Circuit Court of the county wherein a hearing is held shall
have power to review all final administrative decisions of the Department
in administering the provisions of this Act: Provided that if the
administrative proceeding which is to be reviewed judicially is a claim for
refund proceeding commenced in accordance with Section 6 of this Act and
Section 2a of "An Act in relation to the payment and disposition of moneys
received by officers and employees of the State of Illinois by virtue of
their office or employment", approved June 9, 1911, as amended, the
Circuit Court having jurisdiction of the action for judicial review under
this Section and under the Administrative Review Law, as amended, shall
be the same court that entered the
temporary
restraining order or preliminary injunction which is provided for in
Section 2a of "An Act in relation
to the payment and disposition of moneys received by officers and employees
of the State of Illinois by virtue of their office or employment", and
which enables such claim proceeding to be processed and disposed of as a
claim for refund proceeding rather than as a claim for credit proceeding.
The provisions of the Administrative Review Law, and the rules adopted
pursuant thereto, shall apply to and govern all proceedings for the
judicial review of final administrative decisions of the Department
hereunder. The term "administrative decision" is defined as in Section 3-101
of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Service upon the Director or Assistant Director of the Department of
Revenue of summons issued in any action to review a final administrative
decision shall be service upon the Department. The Department shall certify
the record of its proceedings if the taxpayer shall pay to it the sum of
75¢ per page of testimony taken before the Department and 25¢ per page of
all other matters contained in such record, except that these charges may
be waived where the Department is satisfied that the aggrieved party is a
poor person who cannot afford to pay such charges.

(Source: P.A. 83-342.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/12a) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.12a)
Sec. 12a.

The Department may make, promulgate and enforce such
reasonable rules and regulations relating to the administration and
enforcement of this Act as may be deemed expedient.
Whenever notice to a taxpayer is required by this Act, such notice may
be given by United States certified or registered mail, addressed to the taxpayer
concerned at his last known address, and proof of such mailing shall be
sufficient for the purposes of this Act. In the case of a notice of
hearing, such notice shall be mailed not less than 7 days prior to
the day fixed for the hearing.
All hearings provided for in this Act with respect to a taxpayer having
his principal place of business in any of the several counties of this
State shall be held in the county wherein the taxpayer has his principal
place of business. If the taxpayer does not have his
principal place of business in this State, such hearings shall be held in
Sangamon County.
Whenever any proceeding provided by this Act has been begun by
the Department or by a person subject thereto and such person
thereafter dies or becomes a person under legal disability
before the proceeding has
been concluded, the legal representative of the deceased person or a person
under legal disability shall notify
the Department of such death or legal disability. The legal representative,
as such, shall then be substituted
by the Department in place of and for the person. Within 20
days after notice to the legal representative of the time fixed for
that purpose, the proceeding may proceed in all respects
and with like
effect as though the person had not died or become a person under legal
disability.

(Source: P.A. 83-706.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/12b) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.12b)
Sec. 12b.

The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act is hereby expressly
adopted and shall apply to all administrative rules and procedures of the
Department of Revenue under this Act, except that (1) paragraph (b) of Section
5-10 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act does not apply to final
orders, decisions and opinions of the Department, (2) subparagraph (a)2 of
Section 5-10 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act does not apply to
forms established by the Department for use under this Act, and (3) the
provisions of Section 10-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act
regarding proposals for decision are excluded and not applicable to the
Department under this Act.

(Source: P.A. 88-45.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/13) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.13)
Sec. 13.

Any taxpayer who fails to make a return, or who makes a fraudulent
return, or who wilfully violates any other provision of this Act or any
rule or regulation of the Department for the administration and enforcement
of this act, is guilty of a business offense and, upon conviction thereof,
shall be fined not less than $750 nor
more than $7,500.

(Source: P.A. 83-1428.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/14) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.14)
Sec. 14.

The tax herein imposed shall be in addition to all other
occupation or privilege taxes imposed by the State of Illinois or by any
municipal corporation or political subdivision thereof.

(Source: Laws 1945, p. 1244.)
 
(35 ILCS 610/15) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.15)
Sec. 15.

This Act may be cited as the Messages Tax Act.

(Source: P.A. 86-1475.)

Structure Illinois Compiled Statutes