(a)        Record Keeping Generally. – Retailers, wholesale merchants, facilitators, real property contractors, and consumers must keep records that establish their tax liability under this Article. The Secretary or a person designated by the Secretary may inspect these records at any reasonable time during the day.

(b)        Retailers. – A retailer’s records must include records of the retailer’s gross income, gross sales, net taxable sales, all items purchased for resale, and any reports or records related to transactions with a facilitator with whom it has a contract as provided in this Article. Failure of a retailer to keep records that establish a sale is exempt under this Article subjects the retailer to liability for tax on the sale.

(c)        Wholesale Merchants. – A wholesale merchant’s records must include a bill of sale for each customer that contains the name and address of the purchaser, the date of the purchase, the item purchased, and the sales price of the item. A wholesale merchant must also keep records that establish a sale is exempt from tax and any reports or records related to transactions with a facilitator with whom it has a contract as provided in this Article. Failure of a wholesale merchant to keep records that establish a sale is exempt from tax under this Article subjects the wholesale merchant to liability for tax at the rate that applies to the retail sale of the item.

(d)       Facilitators. – A facilitator’s records must include records of the facilitator’s gross income, gross sales, net taxable sales, all items purchased for resale, any reports or records related to transactions with a retailer with whom it has a contract as provided in this Article, and any other records that establish its tax liability. Failure of a facilitator to keep records that establish a sale is exempt from tax under this Article subjects the facilitator to liability for tax on the sale.

(e)        Real Property Contractors. – A real property contractor’s records must include substantiation that a transaction is a real property contract or a mixed transaction contract pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-164.4H(a1). Failure of a real property contractor to keep records that establish a real property contract under this Article subjects the real property contractor to liability for tax on the sale.

(f)        Consumers. – A consumer’s records must include an invoice or other statement of the purchase price of an item the consumer purchased from inside or outside the State and any sales and use tax paid thereon. Failure of the consumer to keep these records subjects the consumer to liability for tax on the purchase price of the item, as determined by the Secretary. ?(1957, c. 1340, s. 5; 1973, c. 476, s. 193; 1998-98, s. 51; 2009-451, s. 27A.3(n); 2016-5, s. 3.15; 2018-5, s. 38.5(t); 2019-246, s. 4(l).)