[Adopted 10-6-1981 by L.L. No. 2-1981 as
Ch. 93, Art. I, of the 1981 Code]
Pursuant to the authority granted by the Village
Law of the State of New York, a tax equal to 1% is hereby imposed
upon every utility doing business in the Village of Caledonia, New
York, which is subject to the supervision of the State Department
of Public Service, which has a gross income for 12 months ending May
31 in excess of $500, except motor carriers of property subject to
such supervision under the Transportation Law of the State of New
York, and a tax equal to 1% of its gross operating income from and
after the first day of April 1969 is hereby imposed upon every other
utility doing business in the Village of Caledonia, New York, which
has a gross operating income for 12 months ending May 31 in excess
of $500, which taxes shall have application only within the territorial
limits of the Village of Caledonia and shall be in addition to any
and all other taxes and fees imposed by any other provision of law.
Such taxes shall not be imposed on any transaction originating or
consummated outside of the territorial limits of the Village of Caledonia,
notwithstanding that some acts be necessarily performed with respect
to such transaction within such limits.
[Amended 11-15-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
The words and terms used in this article shall
have the meanings assigned to them in § 186-a, Subdivision
2, of the Tax Law.
Every utility subject to tax under this article
shall keep such records of its business and in such form as the Village
Treasurer may require or as the Village Board may require, and such
records shall be preserved for a period of three years, except that
the Village Treasurer or the Village Board may consent to their destruction
within that period or may require that they be kept longer.
[Amended 11-15-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
Every utility subject to tax hereunder shall
file annually on or before March 15 of each year a return for the
12 calendar months or part thereof ending the prior December 31; provided,
however, in lieu of an annual return, any utility may file quarterly
on or before the 25th day of April, July, October and January for
the calendar quarter preceding each such return date. Every return
shall state the gross income or gross operating income for the period
covered thereby. Returns shall be filed with the Village Treasurer
on a form to be furnished by him for such purpose and shall contain
such other data, information or matter as he may require to be included
therein. The Village Treasurer, in order to ensure payment of the
tax imposed, may require at any time a further or supplemental return,
which shall contain any data that may be specified by him, and he
may require any utility doing business in the Village of Caledonia,
New York, to file an annual return, which shall contain any data specified
by him. Every return shall have annexed thereto an affidavit of the
head of the utility making the same or of the owner or of the copartner
thereof or of a principal officer of the corporation, if such business
is conducted by a corporation, to the effect that the statements contained
therein are true.
At the time of filing a return, each utility
shall pay to the Village of Caledonia the tax imposed by this article
for the period covered by such return. Such tax shall be due and payable
at the time of filing the return or, if a return is not filed when
due, on the last day on which the return is required to be filed.
A. In case any return filed pursuant to this article
shall be insufficient or unsatisfactory to the Village Treasurer and
if a corrected or sufficient return is not filed within 20 days after
the same is required by notice from him or if no return is made for
any period, the Village Treasurer shall determine the amount of tax
due from such information as he is able to obtain and, if necessary,
may estimate the tax on the basis of external indexes or otherwise.
He shall give notice of such determination to the person liable for
such tax. Such determination shall finally and irrevocably fix such
tax, unless the person against whom it is assessed shall, within 30
days after the giving of notice of such determination, apply to the
Village Treasurer for a hearing or unless the Village Treasurer, of
his own motion, shall reduce the same. After such hearing, the Village
Treasurer shall give notice of his decision to the person liable for
the tax.
B. Such decision may be reviewed by a proceeding under
Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules of the State of New
York if application therefor is made within 90 days after the giving
of notice of such decision. An order to review such decision shall
not be granted unless the amount of any tax sought to be reviewed,
with interest and penalties thereon, if any, shall be first deposited
with the Village Treasurer and an undertaking filed with him, in such
amount and with such sureties as a Justice of the Supreme Court shall
approve, to the effect that if such proceeding is dismissed or the
tax confirmed, the applicant will pay all costs and charges which
may accrue in the prosecution of such proceeding, or at the option
of the applicant, such undertaking may be in a sum sufficient to cover
the tax, interest, penalties, costs and charges aforesaid, in which
event the applicant shall not be required to pay such tax, interest
and penalties as a condition precedent to the granting of such order.
C. Except in the case of a willfully false or fraudulent
return with intent to evade the tax, no assessment of additional tax
shall be made after the expiration of more than three years from the
date of the filing of a return; provided, however, that where no return
has been filed as required by this article, the tax may be assessed
at any time.
Any notice authorized or required under the
provisions of this article may be given by mailing the same to the
person for whom it is intended, in a postpaid envelope, addressed
to such person at the address given by him under this article or,
if no return has been filed, then to such address as may be obtainable.
The mailing of such notice shall be presumptive evidence of the receipt
of the same by the person to whom addressed. Any period of time which
is determined according to the provisions of this article by the giving
of notice shall commence to run from the date of mailing of such notice.
Any person failing to file a return or corrected
return or to pay any tax or any portion thereof within the time required
by this article shall be subject to a penalty of 5% of the amount
of tax due, plus 1% of such tax for each month's delay or fraction
thereof, excepting the first month after such return was required
to be filed or such tax became due; but the Village Treasurer, for
cause shown, may extend the time for filing any return and, satisfied
that the delay was excusable, may remit all or any portion of the
penalty by the foregoing provisions of this section.
If, within one year from the payment of any
tax or penalty, the payer thereof shall make application for a refund
thereof and the Village Treasurer or the court shall determine that
such tax or penalty or any portion thereof was erroneously or illegally
collected, the Village Treasurer shall refund the amount so determined.
For like cause and within the same period, a refund may be so made
on the initiative of the Village Treasurer. However, no refund shall
be made of a tax or penalty paid pursuant to a determination of the
Village Treasurer as hereinbefore provided unless the Village Treasurer,
after a hearing as hereinbefore provided or of his own motion, shall
have reduced the tax or penalty, or unless it shall have been established
in a proceeding under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules
of the State of New York that such determination was erroneous or
illegal. All refunds shall be made out of moneys collected under this
article. An application for a refund, made as hereinbefore provided,
shall be deemed an application for the revision of the tax or penalty
complained of, and the Village Treasurer may receive additional evidence
with respect thereto. After making his determination, the Village
Treasurer shall give notice thereof to the person interested, who
shall be entitled to an order to review such determination under said
Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules of the State of New
York, subject to the provisions hereinbefore contained relating to
the granting of such order.
The tax imposed by this article shall be charged
against and be paid by the utility and shall not be added as a separate
item to bills rendered by the utility to customers or others, but
shall constitute a part of the operating costs of such utility.
Whenever any person shall fail to pay any tax
or penalty imposed by this article, the Village Attorney shall, upon
request of the Village Board, bring an action to enforce payment of
the same. The proceeds of any judgment obtained in any such action
shall be paid to the Village Treasurer. Each such tax and penalty
shall be a lien upon the property of the person liable to pay the
same, in the same manner and to the same extent as the tax and penalty
imposed by § 186 of the Tax Law are made a lien.
In the administration of this article, the Treasurer
shall have power to make such reasonable rules and regulations, not
inconsistent with law, as may be necessary for the exercise of his
powers and the performance of his duties, and to prescribe the form
of blanks and reports relating to the administration of the tax; to
take testimony and proofs, under oath, with reference to any matter
within the line of his official duty under this article; and to subpoena
and require the attendance of witnesses and the production of books,
papers and documents.
All taxes and penalties received by the Village
Treasurer under this article shall be paid into the treasury of the
Village of Caledonia and shall be credited to and deposited in the
general fund of the Village.