[Adopted 2-5-1981 by Ord. No. 995]
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Ambridge Borough Business Privilege Tax Ordinance."
As used in this article, unless the context indicates clearly a different meaning, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings set forth below:
BOROUGH
The Borough of Ambridge.
BUSINESS
A. 
Carrying on or exercising, whether for gain or for profit or otherwise, within the Borough any trade or business, including, but not limited, to financial business, as hereinafter defined, any profession, vocation, service, construction, communication or commercial activity or the making of sales to persons or rendering services from or attributable to an office within the Borough or a place of business therein.
B. 
"Business" shall not include that portion of any business which is subject to the Borough of Ambridge mercantile tax, or the business of any political subdivision, or any employment for a wage or salary, or any business upon which the power to levy a tax is withheld by law.
FINANCIAL BUSINESS
Services and transactions of banks and bankers, trust, credit and investment companies, where not prohibited by law, holding companies, dealers and brokers in money, credits, commercial paper, bonds, notes, securities and stocks, monetary metals, factors and commission merchants.
GROSS RECEIPTS
A. 
Cash and credit transactions. Cash, credits, and property of any kind or nature received in or allocable or attributable to the Borough from any business or by reason of any sale made, including resales of goods, wares or merchandise taken by a dealer as a trade-in or as part payment for other goods, wares or merchandise, or services rendered, or commercial or business transaction had within the Borough, without deduction therefrom on account of the cost of property sold, materials used, labor, service or other cost, interest or discount paid, or any other expense.
B. 
Gross receipts shall not include:
(1) 
The proceeds of any sales which said proceeds are subject to the Ambridge mercantile tax.
(2) 
The amount of any allowance made for goods, wares or merchandise taken by a dealer as a trade-in or as part payment for any other goods, wares and merchandise in the usual and ordinary course of business.
(3) 
In the case of a financial business, the cost of securities and other property sold, exchanged, paid at maturity or redeemed, any money or credits received in repayment of advances, credits and loans, but not to exceed the principal amount of such advances, credits and loans, and shall also exclude deposits.
(4) 
In the case of a broker, the commissions paid by him to another broker on account of a purchase or sales contract initiated, executed or cleared in conjunction with such other broker.
(5) 
Receipts by dealers from sales to other dealers in the same line where the dealer transfers title or possession at the same price for which he acquired the goods, wares or merchandise.
(6) 
Receipts or that portion thereof attributable to interstate or foreign commerce or to an office or place of business regularly maintained by the taxpayer outside the limits of the Borough and not for the purpose of evading payment of this tax, and those receipts which the Borough is prohibited from taxing by law.
PERSON
Any natural person, partnership, unincorporated association or corporation, whether for profit or otherwise. Whenever used in any provision prescribing a fine or penalty, the word "person," as applied to partnerships, shall mean the partners thereof, and as applied to corporations or to unincorporated associations, shall mean the officers thereof.
TAX COLLECTOR
Person duly elected by the Borough to perform the duties of Tax Collector or such person as may be appointed by the Borough Council of the Borough of Ambridge to perform such duties.
[Amended 5-22-2012 by Ord. No. 1247]
TAX YEAR
Twelve-month period from January 1 to December 31 of the current calendar year for which tax returns are being made.
TEMPORARY, SEASONAL OR ITINERANT BUSINESS
Any business that is conducted at one location for less than 60 consecutive calendar days.
WHOLESALE DEALER OR WHOLESALE VENDOR
Any person who sells to dealers and/or vendors of goods, wares and merchandise.
Every person engaged in any business in the Borough beginning with the calendar year of 1981, and thereafter, shall pay a tax at the rate of three mills on each dollar of volume of the gross receipts of said business, except that he gross volume of wholesale business transacted by wholesale dealers in goods, wares and merchandise is taxable at the rate of one mill as set forth in § 8 of the above Act of December 31, 1965, P.L. 1257 (Act 11 of 1965, known as the Local Tax Enabling Act), as amended.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 6901 et seq. and 53 P.S. § 6924.101 et seq.
A. 
Every person subject to the payment of the tax hereby imposed shall compute his taxable gross receipts upon the actual receipts received by him during the calendar year.
B. 
Where a receipt in its entirety cannot be subjected to the tax imposed by this article, by reason of the provisions of the Constitution of the United States or any other provision of law, including the exemptions within this article, the Tax Collector shall establish rules and regulations and methods of allocation and evaluation so that only that part of such receipt which is properly attributable and allocatable to the doing of business within the Borough shall be taxed hereunder. The Tax Collector may make such allocation with due regard to the nature of the business concerned on the basis of millage division of the receipt according to the number of jurisdictions in which it may be taxed, the ratio of the value of the property or assets of the taxpayer owned and situated in the Borough to the total property or assets of the taxpayer wherever owned or situated, or by any other method or methods of calculation other than the foregoing, calculated to effect a fair and proper allocation. Every person who ceases to carry on a business during any tax year shall be required to pay a business privilege tax only for the portion of the year during which such business operates, based upon the gross receipts for the period from the beginning of the calendar year until said business was terminated.
C. 
Persons engaged in temporary, seasonal or itinerant businesses shall pay tax upon the actual gross receipts received during the period they were engaged in such work.
A. 
No person shall at any time engage in any business, as herein defined, without first having procured a license therefor, as herein provided for.
B. 
Any person desiring to procure a license, as herein provided, shall apply therefor in writing to the Tax Collector. Said application shall set forth the person's name, address, business address and the nature of the business activity in which he is or will be engaged. The Tax Collector shall thereupon issue a license for a period of one year, upon payment of a license fee in an amount as established from time to time by resolution of Borough Council. The license year shall run from January 1 until the next following December 31. Only one license per year need be obtained for one or more compatible businesses, but businesses conducted by the same person which are not compatible one with the other shall require separate licenses for each. Such license shall be conspicuously posted at the place of business or each of the places of business of every such person at all times.
[Amended 5-22-2012 by Ord. No. 1247]
C. 
Every return shall be made upon a form furnished by the Tax Collector, and every person making a return shall certify the correctness thereof.
D. 
Every person subject to the tax imposed by this article who has commenced his business prior to the beginning of any tax year shall, on or before January 31, 1981, and annually thereafter, file with the Tax Collector a return setting forth his name and business address and such other information as may be necessary in arriving at the amount of the tax due.
E. 
Every person subject to the tax imposed by this article who commences business subsequent to the beginning of any tax year shall, on or before January 31 of the succeeding tax year, file a return with the Tax Collector setting forth his name, his business, his business address and such other information as may be necessary in arriving at the gross volume of business for the first full tax year and the amount of the tax due. The average monthly volume of business transacted in the preceding year, multiplied by 12, shall be the basis for computing the gross volume of business for the first full tax year.
F. 
Every person subject to the payment of the tax imposed by this article who engages in a business that is temporary, seasonal or itinerant by its nature shall, within seven days from the day he completes such business, file a return with the Tax Collector setting forth his name, his business, his business address and such other information as may be necessary in arriving at the actual gross volume of business during the tax period and the amount of the tax due.
A. 
Payment of the tax imposed by this article shall be in semiannual installments, the first installment being due on or before July 31 for each taxable year.
B. 
The computation of the payment due on or before July 31 shall be an estimate based upon the gross receipts for the preceding business year, as defined in this article.
C. 
The final payment shall be paid at the time of filing his final return, on or before January 31 of the succeeding year, which payment shall be based on the total gross receipts, as defined by this article, with credit for the estimated installment previously paid.
A. 
It shall be the duty of the Tax Collector to collect and receive the taxes, fines and penalties imposed by this article. It shall also be his duty to keep a record showing the amount received by him from each person paying the tax and the date of such payments, and the quarterly period for which said payment is made.
B. 
The Tax Collector is hereby charged with the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this article and is hereby empowered to prescribe, adopt, promulgate and enforce rules and regulations relating to any matter pertaining to the administration and enforcement of this article, including provision for the reexamination and correction of returns and payments alleged or found to be incorrect, or as to which an overpayment is claimed or found to have occurred, and to make refunds where necessary. Any person aggrieved by any decision of the Tax Collector shall have the right to appeal to court as in other cases provided.
C. 
The Tax Collector is hereby authorized to compel the production of books, papers and records and the attendance of all persons before him, whether as parties or witnesses, whom he believes to have knowledge of such receipts.
D. 
The Tax Collector is hereby authorized to examine the books, papers and records of any taxpayer or supposed taxpayer in order to verify the accuracy of any return made or, if no return was made, to ascertain the tax due. Every such taxpayer or supposed taxpayer is hereby directed and required to give to the Tax Collector the means, facilities and opportunity for such examinations and investigations as are hereby authorized.
E. 
All taxes and interest collected or received under this article shall be paid by the Tax Collector to the Borough.
F. 
The Tax Collector shall furnish to the Borough at the time he makes payment of taxes collected under this act a list of the businesses making returns and the amount of taxes collected from each.
G. 
Exoneration for any tax may be granted by the Council to the Tax Collector in accordance with the laws governing collection of other taxes.
A. 
The Tax Collector may sue for the recovery of taxes due and unpaid under this article by suit brought before any Magisterial District Judge or before the Court of Common Pleas of Beaver County.
B. 
If for any reason the tax is not paid when due in each year, interest at the rate of 6% per annum, payable at the rate of 0.5% of the amount of the unpaid tax that remains due and unpaid, shall be added thereto and collected. Where suit is brought for the recovery of any such tax, the person liable therefor shall, in addition, be liable for the costs of collection and the interest herein imposed.
[Amended 1-17-1983 by Ord. No. 1009; 5-22-2012 by Ord. No. 1247]
Whoever makes any false or untrue statement on his return, or who refuses to permit the inspection of the books, records or accounts of any business in his custody or control when the right to make such inspection by the Tax Collector is requested, and whoever fails or refuses to file a return required by this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
A. 
Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to empower the Borough to levy and collect the taxes hereby imposed on any person or any business or any portion of any business not within the taxing power of the Borough under the Constitution of the United States and the laws and Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
B. 
If a final decision of a court of competent jurisdiction holds any provisions of this article, or the application of any provision to any circumstances, to be illegal or unconstitutional, such provision shall be severable and the other remaining provisions of this article, or the application of such provisions to other circumstances, shall remain in full force and effect. The intention of Council is that the provisions of this article shall be severable and that the balance of this article would have been adopted if any such illegal or unconstitutional provisions had not been included.
The Tax Collector is hereby authorized to accept payment under protest of the amount of business privilege tax claimed by the Borough in any case where the taxpayer disputes the validity or amount of the Borough's claim for tax. If it is thereafter judicially determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that the Borough has been overpaid, the amount of the overpayment shall be refunded to the taxpayer.
In accord with § 6 of Act 511 of 1965, P.L. 1257, as amended, the provisions of this article shall become effective for the year 1980 30 days after its enactment and shall remain in effect thereafter from year to year on a calendar basis.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 6901 et seq. and 53 P.S. § 6924.101 et seq.