Pursuant to home rule legislation enacted by the New York State Legislature, Article 29, § 1202-mm, of the New York State Tax Law, the City of Beacon is authorized to adopt a local law relating to the implementation and assessment of tax on persons occupying hotel and motel rooms in the City of Beacon.
[Adopted 11-4-2024 by L.L. No. 10-2024]
For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
The Director of Finance of the City of Beacon, or such other person as may be designated by the City Council to administer and collect the tax provided for under this article.
January 1, 2025.
Any occupant of any room or rooms in a hotel whose rent is paid from public assistance from the County of Dutchess shall be deemed an "exempt occupant" with respect to the period of such occupancy, regardless of the length thereof.
An internet, application, technology, and/or similarly based service through which a third party desiring to offer lodging (a "host") and a third party desiring to book lodging (a "guest") for one or more nights have the opportunity to communicate, negotiate, and consummate a booking transaction for transient lodging accommodations pursuant to a direct agreement between a host and guest to which the hosting company is not a party but still facilitates and is entitled to receive payments for rent on behalf of or for the host. Merely publishing an advertisement for transient accommodations does not make the publisher a hosting company.
Any facility, or portion thereof, consisting of rentable units and providing lodging of guests on an overnight basis. For the purposes of this article, the term "hotel" shall mean and include any facility providing lodging on an overnight basis, including those facilities designated and commonly known as "bed-and-breakfast" and "tourist" facilities, and shall include but not be limited to hotels, motels, tourist homes, motel courts, bed-and-breakfast establishments, short-term rentals, vacation rentals, clubs or similar facilities, whether or not meals are served to guests or residents thereof, and/or a location that is otherwise made available for transient lodging accommodation for rent directly by the owner or through an agent, operator or hosting companies.
The use or possession, or the right to the use or possession, of any room in a hotel.
A person who, for a consideration, uses, possesses or has the right to use or possess any room in a hotel under any lease, concession, permit, right of access, license to use or other agreement or otherwise.
Any person operating a hotel in the City of Beacon, including, but not limited to, an owner or proprietor of such premises, lessee, sublessee, mortgagee in possession, licensee or any other person otherwise operating such hotel.
Any person occupying any room or rooms in a hotel for at least 60 consecutive calendar days shall be considered a "permanent resident."
An individual, partnership, society, association, joint-stock company, corporation, estate, receiver, trustee, assignee, referee or any other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, whether appointed by a court or otherwise, or any combination of the foregoing.
The per diem rental rate or charge received for occupancy of each room, valued in money, whether received in money or otherwise, for the occupancy of a room in a hotel for any period of time.
Any return filed or required to be filed as provided herein.
Any room or rooms of any kind in any part or portion of a hotel, which is available for or let out for any purpose other than a place of assembly.
A person who reserves, arranges for, conveys, or furnishes occupancy, whether directly or indirectly, to an occupant for rent in an amount determined by the room remarketer, directly or indirectly, whether pursuant to a written or other agreement. Such person's ability or authority to reserve, arrange for, convey, or furnish occupancy directly or indirectly, and to determine rent therefor, shall be the rights of a room remarketer. A room remarketer is not a permanent resident with respect to a room for which such person has the rights of a room remarketer.
On and after January 1, 2025, a tax of 2% shall be paid based upon the per diem retail rental rate for every occupancy of a room or rooms in a hotel or motel in the City of Beacon, except that such tax shall not be imposed upon a permanent resident thereof, or an exempt occupant, as otherwise provided herein.
Except as otherwise provided herein, any use or occupancy by any of the following shall not be subject to the tax imposed by this article.
A.
The State of New York, or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, any public corporation (including a public corporation created pursuant to agreement or compact with another state or the Dominion of Canada), improvement district or other political subdivision of the state.
B.
The United States of America, or any of its agencies and instrumentalities, insofar as it is immune from taxation.
C.
Any corporation or association, or trust, or community chest, fund or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual and no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall include an organization operated for the primary purpose of carrying on a trade or business for profit, whether or not all of its profits are payable to one or more organizations described in this section.
D.
A permanent resident of a hotel or motel, notwithstanding that the tax shall be charged for each and every day of occupancy until permanent residency is established.
E.
Any occupant of any room or rooms in a hotel whose rent is paid from public assistance from a political subdivision of the State of New York, the United States of America, or similar public assistance from another state or territory of the United States of America, with respect to the period of such occupancy, regardless of the length thereof.
The tax imposed under this article shall only apply within the territorial limits of the City of Beacon.
A.
Within 10 days after the effective date of this article or, in the case of operators commencing business after such effective date, within three days after such commencement or opening, every operator shall file with the Director of Finance a certificate of registration in a form prescribed by the Director of Finance.
B.
The Director of Finance shall, within five days after such registration, issue without charge to each operator a certificate of authority empowering such operator to collect the tax from the occupant and a duplicate thereof for each additional hotel of such operator. Each certificate or duplicate shall state the hotel to which it is applicable.
C.
The operator shall prominently display the certificate of authority or duplicate in the hotel in such a manner that it may be seen and noticed by all occupants and persons seeking occupancy.
D.
A certificate of authority shall be nonassignable and nontransferable and shall be surrendered immediately to the Director of Finance upon the cessation of business at the hotel named or upon the sale or transfer of the hotel business or land thereof.
A.
The tax imposed by this article shall be administered and collected by the Director of Finance or such other City employee as the Director of Finance may designate by such means and in such manner as are other taxes which are now collected and administered or as otherwise provided by this article.
B.
The tax to be collected shall be stated and charged separately from the rent and shown separately on any record thereof, at the time when the occupancy is arranged or contracted for and charged for, and upon every evidence of occupancy or any bill or state of charges made for said occupancy issued or delivered by the operator as trustee for and on account of the City, and the operator shall be liable for the collection thereof and for the tax. The operator and any officer of any corporate operator shall be personally liable for the tax collected or required to be collected under this article, and the operator shall have the same right in respect to collecting the tax from the occupant, or in respect to the nonpayment of the tax by the occupant, as if the tax were owing, including all rights of eviction, dispossession, repossession, and enforcement of any innkeeper's lien that such person may have in the event of nonpayment of the rent by the occupant; provided, however, that the Director of Finance or employees or agents duly designated by the Director of Finance shall be joined as a party in any action or proceeding brought by the operator to collect and enforce collection of the tax.
C.
Hosting companies and/or room remarketers shall collect and remit the applicable tax to the City, as the collector, for booking transactions completed through the respective hosting company or room remarketer for hotels located within the City; and the host or operator of the hotel who is not the collector hosting company or room remarketer shall not be responsible for collecting and remitting the tax to the City on any transaction for which it has received confirmation that the hosting company or room remarketer has collected the aforementioned tax and remitted it back to the City; otherwise, operators or hosts of hotels and motels shall be liable for the collection and remittance of the tax. For the sole purposes of tax registration, collection, and remittance under this article, a hosting company or room remarketer shall assume and be limited to the duties of hotel/motel operator for only those booking transactions completed through the respective hosting company or room remarketer.
(1)
If the hosting company or room remarketer fails to separately state the tax on the rent on a sales slip, invoice, receipt or other statement of the transaction between the hosting company or room remarketer and the occupant or fails to maintain records of all prices of all components of a transaction covered by this article, the entire consideration shall be treated as rent subject to tax under the article. Nothing herein shall be construed to be subject to tax or exempt from tax any service or property or amusement charge or other items otherwise subject to tax or exempt from tax under any other New York State law. A hosting company's or room remarketer's records of the consideration payable for all components of a transaction covered by this article are records required to be maintained for purposes of § 199-66 of this article.
(2)
In regard to the collection of tax on occupancies by hosting companies and room remarketers, the requirements of this article shall be deemed satisfied if the hosting company or room remarketer provides the customer and/or occupant a sales slip, invoice, receipt or other statement of the price prior to the customer and/or occupant's completion of occupancy, on which the amount of tax due under this article is stated. The hosting company or room remarketer must keep a copy of the sales, slip, invoice, receipt or statement as required by § 199-66 of this article, or must keep electronic records that accurately reflect the information on the sales slip, invoice, receipt or statement provided to the customer and/or occupant.
D.
Except where the occupant has paid rent in full prior to the effective date, the tax imposed by this article shall be paid upon any occupancy on and after the effective date, even if such occupancy is contracted or agreed to pursuant to a contract, lease or other arrangement made prior to the effective date. Where rent is paid or charged or billed or falls due on either a weekly, monthly or other term basis, the rent so paid, charged, billed or falling due shall be subject to the tax herein imposed to the extent that it covers any portion of the period on and after the effective date of this article.
E.
For the purpose of the proper administration of this article and to prevent evasion of the tax hereby imposed, it shall be presumed that all rents are subject to tax provided for under this article until the contrary is established, and the burden of proving that rent for occupancy is not taxable hereunder shall be upon the operator or occupant. Where an occupant claims exemption from the tax under the provisions of § 199-62 of this article, the rent shall be deemed taxable hereunder unless:
(1)
The operator shall receive from the occupant claiming such exemption a copy of a New York State sales tax exemption certificate;
(2)
The operator shall receive from the occupant claiming such exemption a certificate duly executed by an exempt corporation or association certifying that the occupant is its agent, representative, or employee, together with a certificate executed by the occupant that the occupancy is paid or to be paid by such exempt corporation or association and is necessary or required in the course of or in connection with the occupant's duties as a representative of such corporation or association;
(3)
An attestation from the occupant that such person is the recipient of public assistance and that such rent is to be paid from said public assistance.
Every operator shall keep records of every occupancy and of all rent paid, charged or due thereon and of the tax payable of, in such form as the Director of Finance may by regulation require. Such records shall be available for inspection and examination at any time upon demand by the Director of Finance, or their authorized agent or employee, and shall be preserved for a period of three years, except that the Director of Finance may consent to their destruction within that period or may require that they be kept together.
A.
Every operator shall file with the Director of Finance a return of occupancy and of rents and of the taxes payable thereon for the periods ending the last day of March, June, September and December on and after the effective date of this article. Such returns shall be filed within 20 days from the expiration of the period covered thereby. The Director of Finance may permit or require returns to be made for other periods upon such dates as it may specify. If the Director of Finance deems it necessary in order to ensure the payment of the tax imposed by this article, it may require returns to be made for shorter periods than those prescribed pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this section and upon such dates as the Director of Finance may specify.
B.
The forms of return shall be prescribed by the Director of Finance and shall contain such information as it may deem necessary for the proper administration of this article. The Director of Finance may require amended returns to be filed within 20 days after notice and to contain the information specified in the notice.
C.
If a return required by this article is not filed, or if a return is incorrectly filed or is insufficient on its face, the Director of Finance shall take such steps as the Director of Finance deems necessary to enforce the filing of such return or of a corrected return.
At the time of filing a return, each operator shall pay to the Director of Finance the taxes imposed by this article upon the rents required to be included in such return, as well as all other moneys collected by the operator acting or purporting to act under the provisions of this article; even though it be judicially determined that the tax collected is invalidly required to be filed, it shall be due from the operator and payable to the Director of Finance on the date prescribed herein for the filing of the return for such period, without regard to whether a return is filed or whether the return which is filed correctly shows the amount of rents and taxes due thereon. Where the Director of Finance, in the Director of Finance's sole discretion, deems it necessary to protect revenues to be obtained under this article, the Director of Finance may require any operator required to collect the tax imposed by this article to file with the Director of Finance a bond, issued by a surety company authorized to transact business in this state and approved by the Superintendent of Insurance of this state as to solvency and responsibility, in such amount as the Director of Finance may find to secure the payment of any tax and/or penalties and interest due or which may become due from such operator. In the event that the Director of Finance determines that an operator is to file such bonds, the Director of Finance shall give notice to such operator to that effect, specifying the amount of the bond required. The operator shall file such bond within five days after the giving of such notice unless, within such five days, the operator shall request in writing a hearing before the Director of Finance at which the necessity, propriety and amount of the bond shall be determined by the Director of Finance. Such determination shall be final and shall be complied with within 15 days after the giving of notices thereof. In lieu of such bond, securities approved by the Director of Finance or cash in such amount as the Director of Finance may prescribe may be deposited with the Director of Finance, which shall be kept in the custody of the Director of Finance, who may at any time, without notice of the depositor, apply them to any tax and/or interest or penalties due, and for that purpose the securities may be sold by the Director of Finance at public or private sale without notice to the depositor thereof.
Any final determination of the amount of any tax payable hereunder shall be reviewable for error, illegality or unconstitutionality or any other reason whatsoever by a proceeding under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules if application therefor is made to the Supreme Court within 30 days after the giving of the notice of such final determination; provided, however, that any such proceeding under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules shall not be instituted unless:
A.
The amount of any tax sought to be reviewed, with such interest and penalties thereon as may be provided for by local law, shall be first deposited and there is filed an undertaking, issued by a surety company authorized to transact business in this state and approved by the Superintendent of Insurance of this state as to solvency and responsibility, in such amount as a Justice of the Supreme Court shall approve to the effect that if such proceeding be dismissed or the tax confirmed, the petitioner will pay all costs and charges which may accrue in the prosecution of such proceeding; or
B.
At the option of the petitioner, such undertaking may be in a sum sufficient to cover the taxes, interests and penalties stated in such determination, plus the costs and charges which may accrue against it in the prosecution of the proceeding, in which event the petitioner shall not be required to pay such taxes, interest or penalties as a condition precedent to the application.
All revenues resulting from the imposition of the tax under this article shall be paid into the treasury of the City of Beacon and shall be credited to and deposited in the general fund of the City of Beacon. Such revenues may be used for any lawful purpose.
A.
In the manner provided in this section, the Director of Finance shall refund or credit, without interest, any tax penalty or interest erroneously, illegally or unconstitutionally collected or paid if application to the Director of Finance for such refund shall be made within one year from the payment thereof. Whenever a refund is made by the Director of Finance, the Director of Finance shall state the reason therefor in writing. Such application may also be made by an operator who has collected and paid over such tax to the Director of Finance, provided that the application is made within one year of the payment by the occupant to the operator, but no actual refund of moneys shall be made to such operator until it shall first establish to the satisfaction of the Director of Finance, under such regulations as the Director of Finance may prescribe, that it has repaid to the occupant, or other person who has actually paid the tax, the amount for which the application for refund is made. The Director of Finance may, in lieu of any refund required to be made, allow credit therefor on payments due or to become due from the applicant.
B.
Where any tax imposed hereunder shall have been erroneously, illegally or unconstitutionally collected and application for the refund thereof duly made to the Director of Finance, and the Director of Finance shall have made a determination denying such refund, such determination shall be reviewable by a proceeding under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules; provided, however, that such proceeding is instituted within 30 calendar days after the giving of the notice of such determination, and provided that a final determination of tax due was not previously made. Such a proceeding shall not be instituted unless an undertaking is filed with the Director of Finance in such amount and with such sureties as a Justice of the Supreme Court shall approve to the effect that, if such proceedings be dismissed or the tax confirmed, the petitioner will pay costs and charges which may accrue in the prosecution of such proceeding.
C.
A person shall not be entitled to a revision, refund or credit of a tax, interest or penalty which had been determined to be due pursuant to the provisions of § 199-74 of this article where it has had a hearing or an opportunity for a hearing, as provided in said section, or has failed to avail itself of the remedies therein provided. No refund or credit shall be made of a tax, interest or penalty paid after a determination by the Director of Finance made pursuant to § 199-74 of this article unless it be found that such determination was erroneous, illegal or unconstitutional or otherwise improper by the Director of Finance after a hearing or on the Director of Finance's own motion or in a proceeding under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules, pursuant to the provisions of said section, in which event refund or credit without interest shall be made of the tax, interest or penalty found to have been overpaid.
In cases where the occupant or operator has applied for a refund and has instituted a proceeding under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules to review a determination adverse to said occupant or operator on the occupant's or operator's application for a refund, the Director of Finance shall have the option of crediting future tax payment to meet the cost of any settlement or judgments or, at the Director of Finance's option, may, in the first instance, set up appropriate reserves to meet any decision adverse to the City of Beacon.
The remedies provided by §§ 199-69 and 199-71 of this article shall be the exclusive remedies available to any person for the review of tax liability imposed by this article, and no determination or proposed determination of tax or determination on any application for refund shall be enjoined or reviewed by an action for declaratory judgment, an action for money had and received or by any action or proceeding other than a proceeding in a nature of a certiorari proceeding under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules; provided, however, that the payor of the tax may proceed by declaratory judgment if he/she institutes suit within 30 calendar days after a deficiency assessment is made and pays the amount of the deficiency assessment to the Director of Finance prior to the institution of such suit and posts a bond for costs as provided in § 199-68 of this article.
A.
Any person failing to file a return or to pay or pay over any tax to the Director of Finance within in the time required by this article shall be subject to a penalty of 5% of the amount of the tax due, plus interest at the rate of 1% of such tax, for each month of delay, except the first month after such return was required to be filed or such tax became due; but the Director of Finance, if satisfied that the delay was excusable, may remit all of any part of such penalty, but not interest. Such net penalties and interest shall be paid and disposed of in the same manner as other revenues from this article. Unpaid penalties and interest may be enforced in the same manner as the tax imposed by this article.
B.
Any operator or occupant and any officer of an operator or occupant failing to file a return required by this article, or filing or causing to be filed or making or causing to be made or giving or causing to be given any return, certificate, affidavit, representation, information, testimony or statement required or authorized by this article which is willfully false, and any operator and any officer of a corporate operator willfully failing to file a bond required to be filed pursuant to § 199-68 of this article, or failing to file a registration certificate and such data in connection therewith as the Director of Finance may by regulation or otherwise require, or failing to display or surrender the certificate of authority as required by this article or assigning or transferring such certificate of authority; and any operator or any officer of a corporate operator willfully failing to charge separately from the rent the tax herein imposed or willfully failing to state such tax separately on any evidence of occupancy and on any bill or statement or receipt of rent issued or employed by the operator or willfully failing or refusing to collect such tax from the occupant; any operator or any officer of a corporate operator who shall refer or cause reference to be made to this tax in a form or manner other than that required by this article, and any such person or operator failing to keep records required by this article, shall, in addition to the penalties herein or elsewhere prescribed, be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment. Officers of a corporate operator shall be personally liable for the tax collected or required to be collected by such corporation under this article and penalties and interest thereon and subject to the fines and imprisonment herein authorized.
C.
The certificate of the Director of Finance to the effect that a tax has not been paid, that a return, bond or registration certificate has not been filed or that information has not been supplied pursuant to the provisions of this article shall be presumptive evidence thereof.
D.
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 provided by law, the tax may be assessed at any time.
A.
It shall be unlawful, except in accordance with proper judicial order or as otherwise provided to the fullest extent permitted by law, for the Director of Finance or employee or designee of the Director of Finance to divulge or make known in any manner the rents or other information relating to the business of a taxpayer contained in any return required under this article. The officers charged with the custody of such returns shall not be required to produce any of them or evidence of anything contained in them in any action or proceeding in any court, except on behalf of the Director of Finance in an action or proceeding under the provisions of this article or on behalf of any party to any action or proceeding under the provisions of this article when the returns or facts shown thereby are directly involved in such action or proceeding, in either of which events the court may require the production of, and may admit in evidence, so much of said returns or of the facts shown thereby as are pertinent to the action or proceeding and no more. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the delivery to a taxpayer or their duly authorized representative of a certified copy of any return filed in connection with their tax nor to prohibit the publication of statistics so classified to prevent the identification of particular returns and items thereof or the inspection by the City Attorney or other legal representatives of the City or by the District Attorney of any county of the return of any taxpayer who shall bring action to set aside or review the tax based thereon, or against whom an action or proceeding has been instituted for the collection of a tax or penalty. Returns shall be preserved for three years and thereafter until the Director of Finance permits them to be destroyed.
B.
Any violation of Subsection A of this section shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000 or by imprisonment not exceeding 15 days, or both, in the discretion of the court, and if the offender is an officer or employee of the City, they may be, at the discretion of the Mayor, dismissed from office and be incapable of holding any further City office as may be determined according to law.
A.
Any notice authorized or required under the provisions of this article may be given to the taxpayer to whom it is intended in a postpaid envelope addressed to such person at the address given in the last return filed by said taxpayer pursuant to the provisions of this article or in any application made by taxpayer or, if no return has been filed or application made, 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 said notice is addressed. Any period of time which is determined according to the provisions of this article by the giving of notice shall commence five business days after the date of mailing of such notice.
B.
The provisions of the Civil Practice Law and Rules, or any other law relative to limitations of time for the enforcement of a civil remedy, shall not apply to any proceeding or action taken by the City to levy, appraise, assess, determine or enforce the collection of any tax or penalty provided by this article. However, except in the case of a willfully false, 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 filing of a return; provided, however, that where no return has been filed as provided by law, the tax may be assessed at any time.
C.
Where, before expiration of the period prescribed herein for the assessment of an additional tax, a taxpayer has consented, in writing, that such period be extended, the amount of such additional tax due may be determined at any time within such extended period. The period so extended may be further extended by subsequent consents, in writing, made before the expiration of the extended period.
Whenever any operator, any officer of a corporate operator, any occupant, or other person fails to collect and pay over any tax and/or penalty or interest as imposed by this article, the City Attorney shall bring or cause to be brought an action to enforce the payment of the same on behalf of the City in any court of the State of New York or of any other state or of the United States. If, however, the Director of Finance believes that any such operator, officer, occupant, or other person is about to cease business, leave the state, or remove or dissipate the assets out of which the tax or penalties might be satisfied, and that any such tax or penalty will not be paid when due, such tax or penalty may be declared to be immediately due and payable, and the Director of Finance may issue a warrant immediately.
In addition to the powers granted in this article, the Director of Finance is hereby authorized and empowered to:
A.
Extend, for cause shown, the time of filing any return for a period not exceeding 30 days; and, for cause shown, to remit penalties, but not interest; and to compromise disputed claims in connection with the taxes hereby imposed;
B.
Request information from the Tax Commission of the State of New York or the Treasury Department of the United States relative to any person; and afford information to such Tax Commission or Treasury Department relative to any person, notwithstanding any other provision of this article;
C.
Delegate functions hereunder to the other department heads, employees, or agents of the City, with the consent of the Mayor;
D.
Prescribe methods for confirming the rents for occupancy and confirm the accuracy of information on the taxable and non-taxable rents;
E.
Require any operator within the City, if it is determined that adequate records are not being maintained, to keep detailed records of the nature and type of hotel maintained; nature and type of service rendered; number of rooms available and occupied; daily leases, occupancy contracts or arrangements; rents received, charged, and accrued; the names and addresses of the occupants; whether or not any occupancy is claimed to be subject to the tax imposed by this article; and to furnish such information at the request of the Director of Finance;
F.
Impose as a penalty upon any operator within the City any necessary cost of auditing services generated by discrepancies discovered, upon audit, in the records of the operator; and
G.
Make, adopt, and amend such other rules and regulations appropriate to the carrying out of this article and the purposes thereof as may be approved by the City Council of the City of Beacon.
A.
The Director of Finance, or employees or agent(s) duly designated and authorized, shall have the power to administer oaths and take affidavits in relation to any matter or proceeding in the exercise of their powers and duties under this article. The Director of Finance shall have power to subpoena and require the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, and documents to secure information pertinent to the performance of the duties hereunder in the enforcement of this article and to examine them in relation thereto. The Director of Finance shall also have the power to issue commissions for the examination of witnesses who are out of the state, unable to attend, or who are excused from attendance.
B.
A Supreme Court Justice, either in court or in chambers, shall have the power to summarily enforce by proper proceedings the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production and examination of books, papers, and documents called for by the subpoena of the Director of Finance under this article.
C.
Any subpoenaed person who refuses to testify or produce books or records, or who testifies falsely in any material matter pending before the Director of Finance under this article, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishment for which shall be a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.
D.
The officers who serve the summons or subpoena of the Director of Finance and witnesses attending in response thereto shall be entitled to the same fees as are allowed to officers and witnesses in civil cases in courts of record, except otherwise provided herein. Such officers shall be members the City of Beacon Police Department, or any officers or employees of the City designated to serve such process.
From time to time, but no less than annually each year, the Director of Finance shall provide a report to the City Council, for its audit and review, of all actions taken pursuant to this article. The report shall contain a list of all certificates of registration filed or issued to any operator in the City of Beacon and for each operator shall state the returns filed by all operators; the returns that have not been timely filed by any operator; the amount of tax determined to be payable by any operator; the tax paid and collected from any operator; any tax that may be due and owing or past due from any operator, and any enforcement action taken to collect any tax due under this article.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this article, the City of Beacon City Council may provide for the collection and administration of the tax authorized herein to another governmental entity responsible for the collection and administration of taxes pursuant to such terms and conditions as the City Council may approve.
If any provision of this article, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this article, and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.
Pursuant to the provisions of the enabling legislation, New York State Tax Law § 1202-mm as applicable to the City of Beacon, this article shall be in effect until such enabling legislation expires.