Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 5739 | Sales Tax
Section 5739.029 | Nonresident Consumer Motor Vehicle Sales Tax.

Effective: September 23, 2008
Latest Legislation: House Bill 562 - 127th General Assembly
(A) Notwithstanding sections 5739.02, 5739.021, 5739.023, 5739.026, 5741.02, 5741.021, 5741.022, and 5741.023 of the Revised Code, and except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, the tax due under this chapter on the sale of a motor vehicle required to be titled under Chapter 4505. of the Revised Code by a motor vehicle dealer to a consumer that is a nonresident of this state shall be the lesser of the amount of tax that would be due under this chapter and Chapter 5741. of the Revised Code if the total combined rate were six per cent, or the amount of tax that would be due to the state in which the consumer titles or registers the motor vehicle or to which the consumer removes the vehicle for use.
(B) No tax is due under this section, any other section of this chapter, or Chapter 5741. of the Revised Code under any of the following circumstances:
(1)(a) The consumer intends to immediately remove the motor vehicle from this state for use outside this state;
(b) Upon removal of the motor vehicle from this state, the consumer intends to title or register the vehicle in another state if such titling or registration is required;
(c) The consumer executes an affidavit as required under division (C) of this section affirming the consumer's intentions under divisions (B)(1)(a) and (b) of this section; and
(d) The state in which the consumer titles or registers the motor vehicle or to which the consumer removes the vehicle for use provides an exemption under circumstances substantially similar to those described in division (B)(1) of this section.
(2) The state in which the consumer titles or registers the motor vehicle or to which the consumer removes the vehicle for use does not provide a credit against its sales or use tax or similar excise tax for sales or use tax paid to this state.
(3) The state in which the consumer titles or registers the motor vehicle or to which the consumer removes the vehicle for use does not impose a sales or use tax or similar excise tax on the ownership or use of motor vehicles.
(C) Any nonresident consumer that purchases a motor vehicle from a motor vehicle dealer in this state under the circumstances described in divisions (B)(1)(a) and (b) of this section shall execute an affidavit affirming the intentions described in those divisions. The affidavit shall be executed in triplicate and in the form specified by the tax commissioner. The affidavit shall be given to the motor vehicle dealer.
A motor vehicle dealer that accepts in good faith an affidavit presented under this division by a nonresident consumer may rely upon the representations made in the affidavit.
(D) A motor vehicle dealer making a sale subject to the tax under division (A) of this section shall collect the tax due unless the sale is subject to the exception under division (B) of this section or unless the sale is not otherwise subject to taxes levied under sections 5739.02, 5739.021, 5739.023, 5739.026, 5741.02, 5741.021, 5741.022, and 5741.023 of the Revised Code. In the case of a sale under the circumstances described in division (B)(1) of this section, the dealer shall retain one copy of the affidavit and file the original and the other copy with the clerk of the court of common pleas. If tax is due under division (A) of this section, the dealer shall remit the tax collected to the clerk at the time the dealer obtains the Ohio certificate of title in the name of the consumer as required under section 4505.06 of the Revised Code. The clerk shall forward the original affidavit to the tax commissioner in the manner prescribed by the commissioner.
Unless a sale is excepted from taxation under division (B) of this section, upon receipt of an application for certificate of title a clerk of the court of common pleas shall collect the sales tax due under division (A) of this section. The clerk shall remit the tax collected to the tax commissioner in the manner prescribed by the commissioner.
(E) If a motor vehicle is purchased by a corporation described in division (B)(6) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code, the state of residence of the consumer for the purposes of this section is the state of residence of the corporation's principal shareholder.
(F) Any provision of this chapter or of Chapter 5741. of the Revised Code that is not inconsistent with this section applies to sales described in division (A) of this section.
(G) As used in this section:
(1) For the purposes of this section only, the sale or purchase of a motor vehicle does not include a lease or rental of a motor vehicle subject to division (A)(2) or (3) of section 5739.02 or division (A)(2) or (3) of section 5741.02 of the Revised Code;
(2) "State," except in reference to "this state," means any state, district, commonwealth, or territory of the United States and any province of Canada.

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