For the purpose of providing revenue with which to meet the needs of the state, for the use of the general revenue fund of the state, for the purpose of securing a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state, for the purpose of affording revenues, in addition to those from general property taxes, permitted under constitutional limitations, and from other sources, for the support of local governmental functions, and for the purpose of reimbursing the state for the expense of administering this chapter, an excise tax is hereby levied on each retail sale made in this state.

Terms Used In Ohio Code 5739.02

  • affiliated group: means two or more persons related in such a way that one person owns or controls the business operation of another member of the group. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Agricultural land tile: means fired clay or concrete tile, or flexible or rigid perforated plastic pipe or tubing, incorporated or to be incorporated into a subsurface drainage system appurtenant to land used or to be used primarily in production by farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • agriculture: includes farming; ranching; aquaculture; algaculture meaning the farming of algae; apiculture and related apicultural activities, production of honey, beeswax, honeycomb, and other related products; horticulture; viticulture, winemaking, and related activities; animal husbandry, including, but not limited to, the care and raising of livestock, equine, and fur-bearing animals; poultry husbandry and the production of poultry and poultry products; dairy production; the production of field crops, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, nursery stock, ornamental shrubs, ornamental trees, flowers, sod, or mushrooms; timber; pasturage; any combination of the foregoing; the processing, drying, storage, and marketing of agricultural products when those activities are conducted in conjunction with, but are secondary to, such husbandry or production; and any additions or modifications to the foregoing made by the director of agriculture by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code. See Ohio Code 1.61
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Business: includes any activity engaged in by any person with the object of gain, benefit, or advantage, either direct or indirect. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Computer: means an electronic device that accepts information in digital or similar form and manipulates it for a result based on a sequence of instructions. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Consumer: means the person for whom the service is provided, to whom the transfer effected or license given by a sale is or is to be made or given, to whom the service described in division (B)(3)(f) or (i) of this section is charged, or to whom the admission is granted. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Digital audio work: means a work that results from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, including digitized sound files that are downloaded onto a device and that may be used to alert the customer with respect to a communication. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Durable medical equipment: means equipment, including repair and replacement parts for such equipment, that can withstand repeated use, is primarily and customarily used to serve a medical purpose, generally is not useful to a person in the absence of illness or injury, and is not worn in or on the body. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Electronic publishing: means providing access to one or more of the following primarily for business customers, including the federal government or a state government or a political subdivision thereof, to conduct research: news; business, financial, legal, consumer, or credit materials; editorials, columns, reader commentary, or features; photos or images; archival or research material; legal notices, identity verification, or public records; scientific, educational, instructional, technical, professional, trade, or other literary materials; or other similar information which has been gathered and made available by the provider to the consumer in an electronic format. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Electronically transferred: means obtained by the purchaser by means other than tangible storage media. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Feminine hygiene products: means tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, sanitary napkins, and other similar tangible personal property designed for feminine hygiene in connection with the human menstrual cycle, but does not include grooming and hygiene products. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Food: means substances, whether in liquid, concentrated, solid, frozen, dried, or dehydrated form, that are sold for ingestion or chewing by humans and are consumed for their taste or nutritional value. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Fractional aircraft ownership program: means a program in which persons within an affiliated group sell and manage fractional ownership program aircraft, provided that at least one hundred airworthy aircraft are operated in the program and the program meets all of the following criteria:

    (a) Management services are provided by at least one program manager within an affiliated group on behalf of the fractional owners. See Ohio Code 5739.01

  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Highway transportation for hire: means the transportation of personal property belonging to others for consideration by any of the following:

    (1) The holder of a permit or certificate issued by this state or the United States authorizing the holder to engage in transportation of personal property belonging to others for consideration over or on highways, roadways, streets, or any similar public thoroughfare;

    (2) A person who engages in the transportation of personal property belonging to others for consideration over or on highways, roadways, streets, or any similar public thoroughfare but who could not have engaged in such transportation on December 11, 1985, unless the person was the holder of a permit or certificate of the types described in division (Z)(1) of this section;

    (3) A person who leases a motor vehicle to and operates it for a person described by division (Z)(1) or (2) of this section. See Ohio Code 5739.01

  • Horticulture: means the growing, cultivation, and production of flowers, fruits, herbs, vegetables, sod, mushrooms, and nursery stock. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Horticulture structure: means a building or structure used exclusively for the commercial growing, raising, or overwintering of horticultural products, and includes the area used for stocking, storing, and packing horticultural products when done in conjunction with the production of those products. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures; this provision does not affect any law relating to signatures. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • Information services: means providing conversation, giving consultation or advice, playing or making a voice or other recording, making or keeping a record of the number of callers, and any other service provided to a consumer by means of a nine hundred telephone call, except when the nine hundred telephone call is the means by which the consumer makes a contribution to a recognized charity. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Livestock: means farm animals commonly raised for food, food production, or other agricultural purposes, including, but not limited to, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, poultry, and captive deer. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Livestock structure: means a building or structure used exclusively for the housing, raising, feeding, or sheltering of livestock, and includes feed storage or handling structures and structures for livestock waste handling. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Magazines distributed as controlled circulation publications: means magazines containing at least twenty-four pages, at least twenty-five per cent editorial content, issued at regular intervals four or more times a year, and circulated without charge to the recipient, provided that such magazines are not owned or controlled by individuals or business concerns which conduct such publications as an auxiliary to, and essentially for the advancement of the main business or calling of, those who own or control them. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Making retail sales: means the effecting of transactions wherein one party is obligated to pay the price and the other party is obligated to provide a service or to transfer title to or possession of the item sold. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Manufacturing operation: means a process in which materials are changed, converted, or transformed into a different state or form from which they previously existed and includes refining materials, assembling parts, and preparing raw materials and parts by mixing, measuring, blending, or otherwise committing such materials or parts to the manufacturing process. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Mobility enhancing equipment: means equipment, including repair and replacement parts for such equipment, that is primarily and customarily used to provide or increase the ability to move from one place to another and is appropriate for use either in a home or a motor vehicle, that is not generally used by persons with normal mobility, and that does not include any motor vehicle or equipment on a motor vehicle normally provided by a motor vehicle manufacturer. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Municipal gas utility: means a municipal corporation that owns or operates a system for the distribution of natural gas. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Newspaper: means an unbound publication bearing a title or name that is regularly published, at least as frequently as biweekly, and distributed from a fixed place of business to the public in a specific geographic area, and that contains a substantial amount of news matter of international, national, or local events of interest to the general public. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Person: includes individuals, receivers, assignees, trustees in bankruptcy, estates, firms, partnerships, associations, joint-stock companies, joint ventures, clubs, societies, corporations, the state and its political subdivisions, and combinations of individuals of any form. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Physical fitness facility service: means all transactions by which a membership is granted, maintained, or renewed, including initiation fees, membership dues, renewal fees, monthly minimum fees, and other similar fees and dues, by a physical fitness facility such as an athletic club, health spa, or gymnasium, which entitles the member to use the facility for physical exercise. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Premises: includes any real property or portion thereof upon which any person engages in selling tangible personal property at retail or making retail sales and also includes any real property or portion thereof designated for, or devoted to, use in conjunction with the business engaged in by such person. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Prescription: means an order, formula, or recipe issued in any form of oral, written, electronic, or other means of transmission by a duly licensed practitioner authorized by the laws of this state to issue a prescription. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Price: includes consideration received by the vendor from a third party, if the vendor actually receives the consideration from a party other than the consumer, and the consideration is directly related to a price reduction or discount on the sale; the vendor has an obligation to pass the price reduction or discount through to the consumer; the amount of the consideration attributable to the sale is fixed and determinable by the vendor at the time of the sale of the item to the consumer; and one of the following criteria is met:

    (i) The consumer presents a coupon, certificate, or other document to the vendor to claim a price reduction or discount where the coupon, certificate, or document is authorized, distributed, or granted by a third party with the understanding that the third party will reimburse any vendor to whom the coupon, certificate, or document is presented;

    (ii) The consumer identifies the consumer's self to the seller as a member of a group or organization entitled to a price reduction or discount. See Ohio Code 5739.01

  • Private investigation and security service: means the performance of any activity for which the provider of such service is required to be licensed pursuant to Chapter 4749 of the Revised Code, or would be required to be so licensed in performing such services in this state, and also includes the services of conducting polygraph examinations and of monitoring or overseeing the activities on or in, or the condition of, the consumer's home, business, or other facility by means of electronic or similar monitoring devices. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • public utility: includes a citizen of the United States holding, and required to hold, a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued under 49 U. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Qualified research and development equipment: means either of the following:

    (1) Capitalized tangible personal property, and leased personal property that would be capitalized if purchased, used by a person primarily to perform research and development;

    (2) Any tangible personal property used by a megaproject operator primarily to perform research and development at the site of a megaproject that satisfies the criteria described in division (A)(11)(a)(ii) of section 122. See Ohio Code 5739.01

  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • Recreation and sports club service: means all transactions by which a membership is granted, maintained, or renewed, including initiation fees, membership dues, renewal fees, monthly minimum fees, and other similar fees and dues, by a recreation and sports club, which entitles the member to use the facilities of the organization. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Refining: means removing or separating a desirable product from raw or contaminated materials by distillation or physical, mechanical, or chemical processes. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • rental: includes future options to purchase or extend, and agreements described in 26 U. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Research and development: means designing, creating, or formulating new or enhanced products, equipment, or manufacturing processes, and also means conducting scientific or technological inquiry and experimentation in the physical sciences with the goal of increasing scientific knowledge which may reveal the bases for new or enhanced products, equipment, or manufacturing processes. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Satellite broadcasting service: means the distribution or broadcasting of programming or services by satellite directly to the subscriber's receiving equipment without the use of ground receiving or distribution equipment, except the subscriber's receiving equipment or equipment used in the uplink process to the satellite, and includes all service and rental charges, premium channels or other special services, installation and repair service charges, and any other charges having any connection with the provision of the satellite broadcasting service. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • selling: include all of the following transactions for a consideration in any manner, whether absolutely or conditionally, whether for a price or rental, in money or by exchange, and by any means whatsoever:

    (1) All transactions by which title or possession, or both, of tangible personal property, is or is to be transferred, or a license to use or consume tangible personal property is or is to be granted;

    (2) All transactions by which lodging by a hotel is or is to be furnished to transient guests;

    (3) All transactions by which:

    (a) An item of tangible personal property is or is to be repaired, except property, the purchase of which would not be subject to the tax imposed by section 5739. See Ohio Code 5739.01

  • state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • tangible personal property: includes motor vehicles, electricity, water, gas, steam, and prewritten computer software. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Telecommunications service: includes such transmission, conveyance, or routing in which computer processing applications are used to act on the form, code, or protocol of the content for purposes of transmission, conveyance, or routing without regard to whether the service is referred to as voice-over internet protocol service or is classified by the federal communications commission as enhanced or value-added. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Transit authority: means a regional transit authority created pursuant to section 306. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • United States: includes all the states. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • Value-added non-voice data service: means a telecommunications service in which computer processing applications are used to act on the form, content, code, or protocol of the information or data primarily for a purpose other than transmission, conveyance, or routing. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • Vendor: means the person providing the service or by whom the transfer effected or license given by a sale is or is to be made or given and, for sales described in division (B)(3)(i) of this section, the telecommunications service vendor that provides the nine hundred telephone service; if two or more persons are engaged in business at the same place of business under a single trade name in which all collections on account of sales by each are made, such persons shall constitute a single vendor. See Ohio Code 5739.01
  • watercraft: includes an outdrive unit attached to the watercraft. See Ohio Code 5739.01

(A)(1) The tax shall be collected as provided in section 5739.025 of the Revised Code. The rate of the tax shall be five and three-fourths per cent. The tax applies and is collectible when the sale is made, regardless of the time when the price is paid or delivered.

(2) In the case of the lease or rental, with a fixed term of more than thirty days or an indefinite term with a minimum period of more than thirty days, of any motor vehicles designed by the manufacturer to carry a load of not more than one ton, watercraft, outboard motor, or aircraft, or of any tangible personal property, other than motor vehicles designed by the manufacturer to carry a load of more than one ton, to be used by the lessee or renter primarily for business purposes, the tax shall be collected by the vendor at the time the lease or rental is consummated and shall be calculated by the vendor on the basis of the total amount to be paid by the lessee or renter under the lease agreement. If the total amount of the consideration for the lease or rental includes amounts that are not calculated at the time the lease or rental is executed, the tax shall be calculated and collected by the vendor at the time such amounts are billed to the lessee or renter. In the case of an open-end lease or rental, the tax shall be calculated by the vendor on the basis of the total amount to be paid during the initial fixed term of the lease or rental, and for each subsequent renewal period as it comes due. As used in this division, “motor vehicle” has the same meaning as in section 4501.01 of the Revised Code, and “watercraft” includes an outdrive unit attached to the watercraft.

A lease with a renewal clause and a termination penalty or similar provision that applies if the renewal clause is not exercised is presumed to be a sham transaction. In such a case, the tax shall be calculated and paid on the basis of the entire length of the lease period, including any renewal periods, until the termination penalty or similar provision no longer applies. The taxpayer shall bear the burden, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the transaction or series of transactions is not a sham transaction.

(3) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, in the case of a sale, the price of which consists in whole or in part of the lease or rental of tangible personal property, the tax shall be measured by the installments of that lease or rental.

(4) In the case of a sale of a physical fitness facility service or recreation and sports club service, the price of which consists in whole or in part of a membership for the receipt of the benefit of the service, the tax applicable to the sale shall be measured by the installments thereof.

(B) The tax does not apply to the following:

(1) Sales to the state or any of its political subdivisions, or to any other state or its political subdivisions if the laws of that state exempt from taxation sales made to this state and its political subdivisions;

(2) Sales of food for human consumption off the premises where sold;

(3) Sales of food sold to students only in a cafeteria, dormitory, fraternity, or sorority maintained in a private, public, or parochial school, college, or university;

(4) Sales of newspapers and sales or transfers of magazines distributed as controlled circulation publications;

(5) The furnishing, preparing, or serving of meals without charge by an employer to an employee provided the employer records the meals as part compensation for services performed or work done;

(6)(a) Sales of motor fuel upon receipt, use, distribution, or sale of which in this state a tax is imposed by the law of this state, but this exemption shall not apply to the sale of motor fuel on which a refund of the tax is allowable under division (A) of section 5735.14 of the Revised Code; and the tax commissioner may deduct the amount of tax levied by this section applicable to the price of motor fuel when granting a refund of motor fuel tax pursuant to division (A) of section 5735.14 of the Revised Code and shall cause the amount deducted to be paid into the general revenue fund of this state;

(b) Sales of motor fuel other than that described in division (B)(6)(a) of this section and used for powering a refrigeration unit on a vehicle other than one used primarily to provide comfort to the operator or occupants of the vehicle.

(7) Sales of natural gas by a natural gas company or municipal gas utility, of water by a water-works company, or of steam by a heating company, if in each case the thing sold is delivered to consumers through pipes or conduits, and all sales of communications services by a telegraph company, all terms as defined in section 5727.01 of the Revised Code, and sales of electricity delivered through wires;

(8) Casual sales by a person, or auctioneer employed directly by the person to conduct such sales, except as to such sales of motor vehicles, watercraft or outboard motors required to be titled under section 1548.06 of the Revised Code, watercraft documented with the United States coast guard, snowmobiles, and all-purpose vehicles as defined in section 4519.01 of the Revised Code;

(9)(a) Sales of services or tangible personal property, other than motor vehicles, mobile homes, and manufactured homes, by churches, organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or nonprofit organizations operated exclusively for charitable purposes as defined in division (B)(12) of this section, provided that the number of days on which such tangible personal property or services, other than items never subject to the tax, are sold does not exceed six in any calendar year, except as otherwise provided in division (B)(9)(b) of this section. If the number of days on which such sales are made exceeds six in any calendar year, the church or organization shall be considered to be engaged in business and all subsequent sales by it shall be subject to the tax. In counting the number of days, all sales by groups within a church or within an organization shall be considered to be sales of that church or organization.

(b) The limitation on the number of days on which tax-exempt sales may be made by a church or organization under division (B)(9)(a) of this section does not apply to sales made by student clubs and other groups of students of a primary or secondary school, or a parent-teacher association, booster group, or similar organization that raises money to support or fund curricular or extracurricular activities of a primary or secondary school.

(c) Divisions (B)(9)(a) and (b) of this section do not apply to sales by a noncommercial educational radio or television broadcasting station.

(10) Sales not within the taxing power of this state under the Constitution or laws of the United States or the Constitution of this state;

(11) Except for transactions that are sales under division (B)(3)(p) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code, the transportation of persons or property, unless the transportation is by a private investigation and security service;

(12) Sales of tangible personal property or services to churches, to organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and to any other nonprofit organizations operated exclusively for charitable purposes in this state, no part of the net income of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, and no substantial part of the activities of which consists of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; sales to offices administering one or more homes for the aged or one or more hospital facilities exempt under section 140.08 of the Revised Code; and sales to organizations described in division (D) of section 5709.12 of the Revised Code.

“Charitable purposes” means the relief of poverty; the improvement of health through the alleviation of illness, disease, or injury; the operation of an organization exclusively for the provision of professional, laundry, printing, and purchasing services to hospitals or charitable institutions; the operation of a home for the aged, as defined in section 5701.13 of the Revised Code; the operation of a radio or television broadcasting station that is licensed by the federal communications commission as a noncommercial educational radio or television station; the operation of a nonprofit animal adoption service or a county humane society; the promotion of education by an institution of learning that maintains a faculty of qualified instructors, teaches regular continuous courses of study, and confers a recognized diploma upon completion of a specific curriculum; the operation of a parent-teacher association, booster group, or similar organization primarily engaged in the promotion and support of the curricular or extracurricular activities of a primary or secondary school; the operation of a community or area center in which presentations in music, dramatics, the arts, and related fields are made in order to foster public interest and education therein; the production of performances in music, dramatics, and the arts; or the promotion of education by an organization engaged in carrying on research in, or the dissemination of, scientific and technological knowledge and information primarily for the public.

Nothing in this division shall be deemed to exempt sales to any organization for use in the operation or carrying on of a trade or business, or sales to a home for the aged for use in the operation of independent living facilities as defined in division (A) of section 5709.12 of the Revised Code.

(13) Building and construction materials and services sold to construction contractors for incorporation into a structure or improvement to real property under a construction contract with this state or a political subdivision of this state, or with the United States government or any of its agencies; building and construction materials and services sold to construction contractors for incorporation into a structure or improvement to real property that are accepted for ownership by this state or any of its political subdivisions, or by the United States government or any of its agencies at the time of completion of the structures or improvements; building and construction materials sold to construction contractors for incorporation into a horticulture structure or livestock structure for a person engaged in the business of horticulture or producing livestock; building materials and services sold to a construction contractor for incorporation into a house of public worship or religious education, or a building used exclusively for charitable purposes under a construction contract with an organization whose purpose is as described in division (B)(12) of this section; building materials and services sold to a construction contractor for incorporation into a building under a construction contract with an organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 when the building is to be used exclusively for the organization’s exempt purposes; building and construction materials sold for incorporation into the original construction of a sports facility under section 307.696 of the Revised Code; building and construction materials and services sold to a construction contractor for incorporation into real property outside this state if such materials and services, when sold to a construction contractor in the state in which the real property is located for incorporation into real property in that state, would be exempt from a tax on sales levied by that state; building and construction materials for incorporation into a transportation facility pursuant to a public-private agreement entered into under sections 5501.70 to 5501.83 of the Revised Code; until one calendar year after the construction of a convention center that qualifies for property tax exemption under section 5709.084 of the Revised Code is completed, building and construction materials and services sold to a construction contractor for incorporation into the real property comprising that convention center; and building and construction materials sold for incorporation into a structure or improvement to real property that is used primarily as, or primarily in support of, a manufacturing facility or research and development facility and that is to be owned by a megaproject operator upon completion and located at the site of a megaproject that satisfies the criteria described in division (A)(11)(a)(ii) of section 122.17 of the Revised Code, provided that the sale occurs during the period that the megaproject operator has an agreement for such megaproject with the tax credit authority under division (D) of section 122.17 of the Revised Code that remains in effect and has not expired or been terminated.

(14) Sales of ships or vessels or rail rolling stock used or to be used principally in interstate or foreign commerce, and repairs, alterations, fuel, and lubricants for such ships or vessels or rail rolling stock;

(15) Sales to persons primarily engaged in any of the activities mentioned in division (B)(42)(a), (g), or (h) of this section, to persons engaged in making retail sales, or to persons who purchase for sale from a manufacturer tangible personal property that was produced by the manufacturer in accordance with specific designs provided by the purchaser, of packages, including material, labels, and parts for packages, and of machinery, equipment, and material for use primarily in packaging tangible personal property produced for sale, including any machinery, equipment, and supplies used to make labels or packages, to prepare packages or products for labeling, or to label packages or products, by or on the order of the person doing the packaging, or sold at retail. “Packages” includes bags, baskets, cartons, crates, boxes, cans, bottles, bindings, wrappings, and other similar devices and containers, but does not include motor vehicles or bulk tanks, trailers, or similar devices attached to motor vehicles. “Packaging” means placing in a package. Division (B)(15) of this section does not apply to persons engaged in highway transportation for hire.

(16) Sales of food to persons using supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits to purchase the food. As used in this division, “food” has the same meaning as in 7 U.S.C. § 2012 and federal regulations adopted pursuant to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.

(17) Sales to persons engaged in farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture, of tangible personal property for use or consumption primarily in the production by farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture of other tangible personal property for use or consumption primarily in the production of tangible personal property for sale by farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture; or material and parts for incorporation into any such tangible personal property for use or consumption in production; and of tangible personal property for such use or consumption in the conditioning or holding of products produced by and for such use, consumption, or sale by persons engaged in farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture, except where such property is incorporated into real property;

(18) Sales of drugs for a human being that may be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription; insulin as recognized in the official United States pharmacopoeia; urine and blood testing materials when used by diabetics or persons with hypoglycemia to test for glucose or acetone; hypodermic syringes and needles when used by diabetics for insulin injections; epoetin alfa when purchased for use in the treatment of persons with medical disease; hospital beds when purchased by hospitals, nursing homes, or other medical facilities; and medical oxygen and medical oxygen-dispensing equipment when purchased by hospitals, nursing homes, or other medical facilities;

(19) Sales of prosthetic devices, durable medical equipment for home use, or mobility enhancing equipment, when made pursuant to a prescription and when such devices or equipment are for use by a human being.

(20) Sales of emergency and fire protection vehicles and equipment to nonprofit organizations for use solely in providing fire protection and emergency services, including trauma care and emergency medical services, for political subdivisions of the state;

(21) Sales of tangible personal property manufactured in this state, if sold by the manufacturer in this state to a retailer for use in the retail business of the retailer outside of this state and if possession is taken from the manufacturer by the purchaser within this state for the sole purpose of immediately removing the same from this state in a vehicle owned by the purchaser;

(22) Sales of services provided by the state or any of its political subdivisions, agencies, instrumentalities, institutions, or authorities, or by governmental entities of the state or any of its political subdivisions, agencies, instrumentalities, institutions, or authorities;

(23) Sales of motor vehicles to nonresidents of this state under the circumstances described in division (B) of section 5739.029 of the Revised Code;

(24) Sales to persons engaged in the preparation of eggs for sale of tangible personal property used or consumed directly in such preparation, including such tangible personal property used for cleaning, sanitizing, preserving, grading, sorting, and classifying by size; packages, including material and parts for packages, and machinery, equipment, and material for use in packaging eggs for sale; and handling and transportation equipment and parts therefor, except motor vehicles licensed to operate on public highways, used in intraplant or interplant transfers or shipment of eggs in the process of preparation for sale, when the plant or plants within or between which such transfers or shipments occur are operated by the same person. “Packages” includes containers, cases, baskets, flats, fillers, filler flats, cartons, closure materials, labels, and labeling materials, and “packaging” means placing therein.

(25)(a) Sales of water to a consumer for residential use;

(b) Sales of water by a nonprofit corporation engaged exclusively in the treatment, distribution, and sale of water to consumers, if such water is delivered to consumers through pipes or tubing.

(26) Fees charged for inspection or reinspection of motor vehicles under section 3704.14 of the Revised Code;

(27) Sales to persons licensed to conduct a food service operation pursuant to section 3717.43 of the Revised Code, of tangible personal property primarily used directly for the following:

(a) To prepare food for human consumption for sale;

(b) To preserve food that has been or will be prepared for human consumption for sale by the food service operator, not including tangible personal property used to display food for selection by the consumer;

(c) To clean tangible personal property used to prepare or serve food for human consumption for sale.

(28) Sales of animals by nonprofit animal adoption services or county humane societies;

(29) Sales of services to a corporation described in division (A) of section 5709.72 of the Revised Code, and sales of tangible personal property that qualifies for exemption from taxation under section 5709.72 of the Revised Code;

(30) Sales and installation of agricultural land tile, as defined in division (B)(5)(a) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code;

(31) Sales and erection or installation of portable grain bins, as defined in division (B)(5)(b) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code;

(32) The sale, lease, repair, and maintenance of, parts for, or items attached to or incorporated in, motor vehicles that are primarily used for transporting tangible personal property belonging to others by a person engaged in highway transportation for hire, except for packages and packaging used for the transportation of tangible personal property;

(33) Sales to the state headquarters of any veterans’ organization in this state that is either incorporated and issued a charter by the congress of the United States or is recognized by the United States veterans administration, for use by the headquarters;

(34) Sales to a telecommunications service vendor, mobile telecommunications service vendor, or satellite broadcasting service vendor of tangible personal property and services used directly and primarily in transmitting, receiving, switching, or recording any interactive, one- or two-way electromagnetic communications, including voice, image, data, and information, through the use of any medium, including, but not limited to, poles, wires, cables, switching equipment, computers, and record storage devices and media, and component parts for the tangible personal property. The exemption provided in this division shall be in lieu of all other exemptions under division (B)(42)(a) or (n) of this section to which the vendor may otherwise be entitled, based upon the use of the thing purchased in providing the telecommunications, mobile telecommunications, or satellite broadcasting service.

(35)(a) Sales where the purpose of the consumer is to use or consume the things transferred in making retail sales and consisting of newspaper inserts, catalogues, coupons, flyers, gift certificates, or other advertising material that prices and describes tangible personal property offered for retail sale.

(b) Sales to direct marketing vendors of preliminary materials such as photographs, artwork, and typesetting that will be used in printing advertising material; and of printed matter that offers free merchandise or chances to win sweepstake prizes and that is mailed to potential customers with advertising material described in division (B)(35)(a) of this section;

(c) Sales of equipment such as telephones, computers, facsimile machines, and similar tangible personal property primarily used to accept orders for direct marketing retail sales.

(d) Sales of automatic food vending machines that preserve food with a shelf life of forty-five days or less by refrigeration and dispense it to the consumer.

For purposes of division (B)(35) of this section, “direct marketing” means the method of selling where consumers order tangible personal property by United States mail, delivery service, or telecommunication and the vendor delivers or ships the tangible personal property sold to the consumer from a warehouse, catalogue distribution center, or similar fulfillment facility by means of the United States mail, delivery service, or common carrier.

(36) Sales to a person engaged in the business of horticulture or producing livestock of materials to be incorporated into a horticulture structure or livestock structure;

(37) Sales of personal computers, computer monitors, computer keyboards, modems, and other peripheral computer equipment to an individual who is licensed or certified to teach in an elementary or a secondary school in this state for use by that individual in preparation for teaching elementary or secondary school students;

(38) Sales of tangible personal property that is not required to be registered or licensed under the laws of this state to a citizen of a foreign nation that is not a citizen of the United States, provided the property is delivered to a person in this state that is not a related member of the purchaser, is physically present in this state for the sole purpose of temporary storage and package consolidation, and is subsequently delivered to the purchaser at a delivery address in a foreign nation. As used in division (B)(38) of this section, “related member” has the same meaning as in section 5733.042 of the Revised Code, and “temporary storage” means the storage of tangible personal property for a period of not more than sixty days.

(39) Sales of used manufactured homes and used mobile homes, as defined in section 5739.0210 of the Revised Code, made on or after January 1, 2000;

(40) Sales of tangible personal property and services to a provider of electricity used or consumed directly and primarily in generating, transmitting, or distributing electricity for use by others, including property that is or is to be incorporated into and will become a part of the consumer’s production, transmission, or distribution system and that retains its classification as tangible personal property after incorporation; fuel or power used in the production, transmission, or distribution of electricity; energy conversion equipment as defined in section 5727.01 of the Revised Code; and tangible personal property and services used in the repair and maintenance of the production, transmission, or distribution system, including only those motor vehicles as are specially designed and equipped for such use. The exemption provided in this division shall be in lieu of all other exemptions in division (B)(42)(a) or (n) of this section to which a provider of electricity may otherwise be entitled based on the use of the tangible personal property or service purchased in generating, transmitting, or distributing electricity.

(41) Sales to a person providing services under division (B)(3)(p) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code of tangible personal property and services used directly and primarily in providing taxable services under that section.

(42) Sales where the purpose of the purchaser is to do any of the following:

(a) To incorporate the thing transferred as a material or a part into tangible personal property to be produced for sale by manufacturing, assembling, processing, or refining; or to use or consume the thing transferred directly in producing tangible personal property for sale by mining, including, without limitation, the extraction from the earth of all substances that are classed geologically as minerals, or directly in the rendition of a public utility service, except that the sales tax levied by this section shall be collected upon all meals, drinks, and food for human consumption sold when transporting persons. This paragraph does not exempt from “retail sale” or “sales at retail” the sale of tangible personal property that is to be incorporated into a structure or improvement to real property.

(b) To hold the thing transferred as security for the performance of an obligation of the vendor;

(c) To resell, hold, use, or consume the thing transferred as evidence of a contract of insurance;

(d) To use or consume the thing directly in commercial fishing;

(e) To incorporate the thing transferred as a material or a part into, or to use or consume the thing transferred directly in the production of, magazines distributed as controlled circulation publications;

(f) To use or consume the thing transferred in the production and preparation in suitable condition for market and sale of printed, imprinted, overprinted, lithographic, multilithic, blueprinted, photostatic, or other productions or reproductions of written or graphic matter;

(g) To use the thing transferred, as described in section 5739.011 of the Revised Code, primarily in a manufacturing operation to produce tangible personal property for sale;

(h) To use the benefit of a warranty, maintenance or service contract, or similar agreement, as described in division (B)(7) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code, to repair or maintain tangible personal property, if all of the property that is the subject of the warranty, contract, or agreement would not be subject to the tax imposed by this section;

(i) To use the thing transferred as qualified research and development equipment;

(j) To use or consume the thing transferred primarily in storing, transporting, mailing, or otherwise handling purchased sales inventory in a warehouse, distribution center, or similar facility when the inventory is primarily distributed outside this state to retail stores of the person who owns or controls the warehouse, distribution center, or similar facility, to retail stores of an affiliated group of which that person is a member, or by means of direct marketing. This division does not apply to motor vehicles registered for operation on the public highways. As used in this division, “affiliated group” has the same meaning as in division (B)(3)(e) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code and “direct marketing” has the same meaning as in division (B)(35) of this section.

(k) To use or consume the thing transferred to fulfill a contractual obligation incurred by a warrantor pursuant to a warranty provided as a part of the price of the tangible personal property sold or by a vendor of a warranty, maintenance or service contract, or similar agreement the provision of which is defined as a sale under division (B)(7) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code;

(l) To use or consume the thing transferred in the production of a newspaper for distribution to the public;

(m) To use tangible personal property to perform a service listed in division (B)(3) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code, if the property is or is to be permanently transferred to the consumer of the service as an integral part of the performance of the service;

(n) To use or consume the thing transferred primarily in producing tangible personal property for sale by farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture. Persons engaged in rendering farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture services for others are deemed engaged primarily in farming, agriculture, horticulture, or floriculture. This paragraph does not exempt from “retail sale” or “sales at retail” the sale of tangible personal property that is to be incorporated into a structure or improvement to real property.

(o) To use or consume the thing transferred in acquiring, formatting, editing, storing, and disseminating data or information by electronic publishing;

(p) To provide the thing transferred to the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle that is being repaired or serviced, if the thing transferred is a rented motor vehicle and the purchaser is reimbursed for the cost of the rented motor vehicle by a manufacturer, warrantor, or provider of a maintenance, service, or other similar contract or agreement, with respect to the motor vehicle that is being repaired or serviced;

(q) To use or consume the thing transferred directly in production of crude oil and natural gas for sale. Persons engaged in rendering production services for others are deemed engaged in production.

As used in division (B)(42)(q) of this section, “production” means operations and tangible personal property directly used to expose and evaluate an underground reservoir that may contain hydrocarbon resources, prepare the wellbore for production, and lift and control all substances yielded by the reservoir to the surface of the earth.

(i) For the purposes of division (B)(42)(q) of this section, the “thing transferred” includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

(I) Services provided in the construction of permanent access roads, services provided in the construction of the well site, and services provided in the construction of temporary impoundments;

(II) Equipment and rigging used for the specific purpose of creating with integrity a wellbore pathway to underground reservoirs;

(III) Drilling and workover services used to work within a subsurface wellbore, and tangible personal property directly used in providing such services;

(IV) Casing, tubulars, and float and centralizing equipment;

(V) Trailers to which production equipment is attached;

(VI) Well completion services, including cementing of casing, and tangible personal property directly used in providing such services;

(VII) Wireline evaluation, mud logging, and perforation services, and tangible personal property directly used in providing such services;

(VIII) Reservoir stimulation, hydraulic fracturing, and acidizing services, and tangible personal property directly used in providing such services, including all material pumped downhole;

(IX) Pressure pumping equipment;

(X) Artificial lift systems equipment;

(XI) Wellhead equipment and well site equipment used to separate, stabilize, and control hydrocarbon phases and produced water;

(XII) Tangible personal property directly used to control production equipment.

(ii) For the purposes of division (B)(42)(q) of this section, the “thing transferred” does not include any of the following:

(I) Tangible personal property used primarily in the exploration and production of any mineral resource regulated under Chapter 1509 of the Revised Code other than oil or gas;

(II) Tangible personal property used primarily in storing, holding, or delivering solutions or chemicals used in well stimulation as defined in section 1509.01 of the Revised Code;

(III) Tangible personal property used primarily in preparing, installing, or reclaiming foundations for drilling or pumping equipment or well stimulation material tanks;

(IV) Tangible personal property used primarily in transporting, delivering, or removing equipment to or from the well site or storing such equipment before its use at the well site;

(V) Tangible personal property used primarily in gathering operations occurring off the well site, including gathering pipelines transporting hydrocarbon gas or liquids away from a crude oil or natural gas production facility;

(VI) Tangible personal property that is to be incorporated into a structure or improvement to real property;

(VII) Well site fencing, lighting, or security systems;

(VIII) Communication devices or services;

(IX) Office supplies;

(X) Trailers used as offices or lodging;

(XI) Motor vehicles of any kind;

(XII) Tangible personal property used primarily for the storage of drilling byproducts and fuel not used for production;

(XIII) Tangible personal property used primarily as a safety device;

(XIV) Data collection or monitoring devices;

(XV) Access ladders, stairs, or platforms attached to storage tanks.

The enumeration of tangible personal property in division (B)(42)(q)(ii) of this section is not intended to be exhaustive, and any tangible personal property not so enumerated shall not necessarily be construed to be a “thing transferred” for the purposes of division (B)(42)(q) of this section.

The commissioner shall adopt and promulgate rules under sections 119.01 to 119.13 of the Revised Code that the commissioner deems necessary to administer division (B)(42)(q) of this section.

As used in division (B)(42) of this section, “thing” includes all transactions included in divisions (B)(3)(a), (b), and (e) of section 5739.01 of the Revised Code.

(43) Sales conducted through a coin operated device that activates vacuum equipment or equipment that dispenses water, whether or not in combination with soap or other cleaning agents or wax, to the consumer for the consumer’s use on the premises in washing, cleaning, or waxing a motor vehicle, provided no other personal property or personal service is provided as part of the transaction.

(44) Sales of replacement and modification parts for engines, airframes, instruments, and interiors in, and paint for, aircraft used primarily in a fractional aircraft ownership program, and sales of services for the repair, modification, and maintenance of such aircraft, and machinery, equipment, and supplies primarily used to provide those services.

(45) Sales of telecommunications service that is used directly and primarily to perform the functions of a call center. As used in this division, “call center” means any physical location where telephone calls are placed or received in high volume for the purpose of making sales, marketing, customer service, technical support, or other specialized business activity, and that employs at least fifty individuals that engage in call center activities on a full-time basis, or sufficient individuals to fill fifty full-time equivalent positions.

(46) Sales by a telecommunications service vendor of 900 service to a subscriber. This division does not apply to information services.

(47) Sales of value-added non-voice data service. This division does not apply to any similar service that is not otherwise a telecommunications service.

(48) Sales of feminine hygiene products.

(49) Sales of materials, parts, equipment, or engines used in the repair or maintenance of aircraft or avionics systems of such aircraft, and sales of repair, remodeling, replacement, or maintenance services in this state performed on aircraft or on an aircraft’s avionics, engine, or component materials or parts. As used in division (B)(49) of this section, “aircraft” means aircraft of more than six thousand pounds maximum certified takeoff weight or used exclusively in general aviation.

(50) Sales of full flight simulators that are used for pilot or flight-crew training, sales of repair or replacement parts or components, and sales of repair or maintenance services for such full flight simulators. “Full flight simulator” means a replica of a specific type, or make, model, and series of aircraft cockpit. It includes the assemblage of equipment and computer programs necessary to represent aircraft operations in ground and flight conditions, a visual system providing an out-of-the-cockpit view, and a system that provides cues at least equivalent to those of a three-degree-of-freedom motion system, and has the full range of capabilities of the systems installed in the device as described in appendices A and B of part 60 of chapter 1 of title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(51) Any transfer or lease of tangible personal property between the state and JobsOhio in accordance with section 4313.02 of the Revised Code.

(52)(a) Sales to a qualifying corporation.

(b) As used in division (B)(52) of this section:

(i) “Qualifying corporation” means a nonprofit corporation organized in this state that leases from an eligible county land, buildings, structures, fixtures, and improvements to the land that are part of or used in a public recreational facility used by a major league professional athletic team or a class A to class AAA minor league affiliate of a major league professional athletic team for a significant portion of the team’s home schedule, provided the following apply:

(I) The facility is leased from the eligible county pursuant to a lease that requires substantially all of the revenue from the operation of the business or activity conducted by the nonprofit corporation at the facility in excess of operating costs, capital expenditures, and reserves to be paid to the eligible county at least once per calendar year.

(II) Upon dissolution and liquidation of the nonprofit corporation, all of its net assets are distributable to the board of commissioners of the eligible county from which the corporation leases the facility.

(ii) “Eligible county” has the same meaning as in section 307.695 of the Revised Code.

(53) Sales to or by a cable service provider, video service provider, or radio or television broadcast station regulated by the federal government of cable service or programming, video service or programming, audio service or programming, or electronically transferred digital audiovisual or audio work. As used in division (B)(53) of this section, “cable service” and “cable service provider” have the same meanings as in section 1332.01 of the Revised Code, and “video service,” “video service provider,” and “video programming” have the same meanings as in section 1332.21 of the Revised Code.

(54) Sales of a digital audio work electronically transferred for delivery through use of a machine, such as a juke box, that does all of the following:

(a) Accepts direct payments to operate;

(b) Automatically plays a selected digital audio work for a single play upon receipt of a payment described in division (B)(54)(a) of this section;

(c) Operates exclusively for the purpose of playing digital audio works in a commercial establishment.

(55)(a) Sales of the following occurring on the first Friday of August and the following Saturday and Sunday of each year, beginning in 2018:

(i) An item of clothing, the price of which is seventy-five dollars or less;

(ii) An item of school supplies, the price of which is twenty dollars or less;

(iii) An item of school instructional material, the price of which is twenty dollars or less.

(b) As used in division (B)(55) of this section:

(i) “Clothing” means all human wearing apparel suitable for general use. “Clothing” includes, but is not limited to, aprons, household and shop; athletic supporters; baby receiving blankets; bathing suits and caps; beach capes and coats; belts and suspenders; boots; coats and jackets; costumes; diapers, children and adult, including disposable diapers; earmuffs; footlets; formal wear; garters and garter belts; girdles; gloves and mittens for general use; hats and caps; hosiery; insoles for shoes; lab coats; neckties; overshoes; pantyhose; rainwear; rubber pants; sandals; scarves; shoes and shoe laces; slippers; sneakers; socks and stockings; steel-toed shoes; underwear; uniforms, athletic and nonathletic; and wedding apparel. “Clothing” does not include items purchased for use in a trade or business; clothing accessories or equipment; protective equipment; sports or recreational equipment; belt buckles sold separately; costume masks sold separately; patches and emblems sold separately; sewing equipment and supplies including, but not limited to, knitting needles, patterns, pins, scissors, sewing machines, sewing needles, tape measures, and thimbles; and sewing materials that become part of “clothing” including, but not limited to, buttons, fabric, lace, thread, yarn, and zippers.

(ii) “School supplies” means items commonly used by a student in a course of study. “School supplies” includes only the following items: binders; book bags; calculators; cellophane tape; blackboard chalk; compasses; composition books; crayons; erasers; folders, expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila; glue, paste, and paste sticks; highlighters; index cards; index card boxes; legal pads; lunch boxes; markers; notebooks; paper, loose-leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper; pencil boxes and other school supply boxes; pencil sharpeners; pencils; pens; protractors; rulers; scissors; and writing tablets. “School supplies” does not include any item purchased for use in a trade or business.

(iii) “School instructional material” means written material commonly used by a student in a course of study as a reference and to learn the subject being taught. “School instructional material” includes only the following items: reference books, reference maps and globes, textbooks, and workbooks. “School instructional material” does not include any material purchased for use in a trade or business.

(56)(a) Sales of diapers or incontinence underpads sold pursuant to a prescription, for the benefit of a medicaid recipient with a diagnosis of incontinence, and by a medicaid provider that maintains a valid provider agreement under section 5164.30 of the Revised Code with the department of medicaid, provided that the medicaid program covers diapers or incontinence underpads as an incontinence garment.

(b) As used in division (B)(56)(a) of this section:

(i) “Diaper” means an absorbent garment worn by humans who are incapable of, or have difficulty, controlling their bladder or bowel movements.

(ii) “Incontinence underpad” means an absorbent product, not worn on the body, designed to protect furniture or other tangible personal property from soiling or damage due to human incontinence.

(57) Sales of investment metal bullion and investment coins. “Investment metal bullion” means any bullion described in section 408(m)(3)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code, regardless of whether that bullion is in the physical possession of a trustee. “Investment coin” means any coin composed primarily of gold, silver, platinum, or palladium.

(58) Sales of tangible personal property used primarily for any of the following purposes by a megaproject operator at the site of a megaproject that satisfies the criteria described in division (A)(11)(a)(ii) of section 122.17 of the Revised Code, provided that the sale occurs during the period that the megaproject operator has an agreement for such megaproject with the tax credit authority under division (D) of section 122.17 of the Revised Code that remains in effect and has not expired or been terminated:

(a) To store, transmit, convey, distribute, recycle, circulate, or clean water, steam, or other gases used in or produced as a result of manufacturing activity, including items that support or aid in the operation of such property;

(b) To clean or prepare inventory, at any stage of storage or production, or equipment used in a manufacturing activity, including chemicals, solvents, catalysts, soaps, and other items that support or aid in the operation of property;

(c) To regulate, treat, filter, condition, improve, clean, maintain, or monitor environmental conditions within areas where manufacturing activities take place;

(d) To handle, transport, or convey inventory during production or manufacturing.

(59) Documentary services charges imposed pursuant to section 4517.261 or 4781.24 of the Revised Code.

(C) For the purpose of the proper administration of this chapter, and to prevent the evasion of the tax, it is presumed that all sales made in this state are subject to the tax until the contrary is established.

(D) The tax collected by the vendor from the consumer under this chapter is not part of the price, but is a tax collection for the benefit of the state, and of counties levying an additional sales tax pursuant to section 5739.021 or 5739.026 of the Revised Code and of transit authorities levying an additional sales tax pursuant to section 5739.023 of the Revised Code. Except for the discount authorized under section 5739.12 of the Revised Code and the effects of any rounding pursuant to section 5703.055 of the Revised Code, no person other than the state or such a county or transit authority shall derive any benefit from the collection or payment of the tax levied by this section or section 5739.021, 5739.023, or 5739.026 of the Revised Code.

Last updated January 18, 2023 at 3:51 PM