Virginia Code 58.1-1021.04:2: Certain records required of distributor; access to premises
A. Each distributor or remote retail seller shall keep in each licensed place of business complete and accurate records for that place of business, including itemized invoices of: (i) tobacco products held, purchased, manufactured, brought in or caused to be brought in from outside the Commonwealth, or shipped or transported to retailers in the Commonwealth; (ii) all sales of tobacco products made; (iii) all tobacco products, including cigars and pipe tobacco, transferred to other retail outlets owned or controlled by that licensed distributor or remote retail seller; and (iv) any records required by the Department.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 58.1-1021.04:2
- Actual cost: means the actual price paid by a remote retail seller for each individual stock keeping unit or SKU. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- Consumer: means the person who is the end or final user of tobacco products. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- Distributor: means (i) any person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products in the Commonwealth who brings, or causes to be brought, into the Commonwealth from outside the Commonwealth any tobacco products for sale; (ii) any person who makes, manufactures, fabricates, or stores tobacco products in the Commonwealth for sale in the Commonwealth; (iii) any person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products outside the Commonwealth who ships or transports tobacco products to any person in the business of selling tobacco products in the Commonwealth; or (iv) any retail dealer in possession of untaxed tobacco products in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- Person: means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, company, business, trust, joint venture, or other legal entity. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- Pipe tobacco: means any tobacco that, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling, is suitable for use and likely to be offered or purchased by consumers as tobacco to be smoked in a pipe. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- Remote retail sale: means any sale of cigars or pipe tobacco to a consumer in the Commonwealth when (i) the consumer submits the order for the sale by means of a telephone or other method of voice transmission, the mail, or the Internet or other online service, or the seller is otherwise not in the physical presence of the consumer when the request for the purchase or order is made, or (ii) the cigars or pipe tobacco are delivered to the consumer by common carrier, private delivery service, or other method of remote delivery, or the seller is not in the physical presence of the consumer when the buyer obtains possession of the cigars or pipe tobacco. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- Remote retail seller: means a person located within or outside of this state that makes remote retail sales of cigars or pipe tobacco. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- SKU: means an individual stock keeping unit identifier used for tracking inventory. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
- tobacco products: means (i) "cigar" as defined in § 5702(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended; (ii) "smokeless tobacco" as defined in § 5702(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended; or (iii) "pipe tobacco" as defined in § 5702(n) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
All books, records and other papers and documents required by this subsection to be kept shall be preserved, in a form prescribed by the Department, for a period of at least three years after the date of the documents or the date of the entries thereof appearing in the records, unless the Department authorizes, in writing, their destruction or disposal at an earlier date.
B. At any time during usual business hours, duly authorized agents or employees of the Department may enter any place of business of a distributor and inspect the premises, the records required to be kept under this article and the tobacco products contained therein, to determine whether all the provisions of this article are being complied with fully. Refusal to permit such inspection by a duly authorized agent or employee of the Department shall be grounds for revocation of the license.
C. Each person who sells tobacco products to persons other than an ultimate consumer shall render with each sale itemized invoices showing the seller’s name and address, the purchaser’s name and address, the date of sale and all prices. Such person shall preserve legible copies of all such invoices for three years after the date of sale.
D. Each distributor or remote retail seller shall procure itemized invoices of all tobacco products purchased. The invoices shall show the name and address of the seller and the date of purchase. The distributor or remote retail seller shall preserve a legible copy of each invoice for three years after the date of purchase. Invoices shall be available for inspection by authorized agents or employees of the Department at the distributor’s place of business or remote retail seller’s place of business. If the remote retail seller cannot produce the required invoice information and the excise tax is being remitted using the actual cost list method to calculate the excise tax, the remote retail seller shall provide the remote retail seller’s certified actual cost list to the Department for each SKU to be offered for remote retail sale in the subsequent calendar year. The actual cost list shall be updated quarterly as new SKUs are added to a remote retail seller’s inventory. New SKUs will be added using the actual cost first paid for the SKU. This method shall not be used unless the actual cost list has been filed with the Department for the previous calendar year.
E. Any violation of § 58.1-1021.04:1, 58.1-1021.04:2, 58.1-1021.04:3, or 58.1-1021.04:4 of this article shall be grounds for revocation of the license.