SECTION 58.1-612. Tax collectible from dealers; "dealer" defined; jurisdiction  

A. The tax levied by §§ 58.1-603 and 58.1-603 shall be collectible from all persons that are dealers, as defined in this section, and that have sufficient contact with the Commonwealth to qualify under (i) subsections B and C or (ii) subsections B and D.

B. As used in this chapter, "dealer" includes every person that:

1. Manufactures or produces tangible personal property for sale at retail, for use, consumption, or distribution, or for storage to be used or consumed in this Commonwealth;

2. Imports or causes to be imported into this Commonwealth tangible personal property from any state or foreign country, for sale at retail, for use, consumption, or distribution, or for storage to be used or consumed in this Commonwealth;

3. Sells at retail, or that offers for sale at retail, or that has in its possession for sale at retail, or for use, consumption, or distribution, or for storage to be used or consumed in this Commonwealth, tangible personal property;

4. Has sold at retail, used, consumed, distributed, or stored for use or consumption in this Commonwealth, tangible personal property and that cannot prove that the tax levied by this chapter has been paid on the sale at retail, the use, consumption, distribution, or storage of such tangible personal property;

5. Leases or rents tangible personal property for a consideration, permitting the use or possession of such property without transferring title thereto;

6. Is the lessee or rentee of tangible personal property and that pays to the owner of such property a consideration for the use or possession of such property without acquiring title thereto;

7. As a representative, agent, or solicitor, of an out-of-state principal, solicits, receives and accepts orders from persons in this Commonwealth for future delivery and whose principal refuses to register as a dealer under § 58.1-603 ; or

8. Becomes liable to and owes this Commonwealth any amount of tax imposed by this chapter, whether it holds, or is required to hold, a certificate of registration under § 58.1-603 .

C. A dealer shall be deemed to have sufficient activity within the Commonwealth to require registration under § 58.1-603 if it:

1. Maintains or has within this Commonwealth, directly or through an agent or subsidiary, an office, warehouse, or place of business of any nature;

2. Solicits business in this Commonwealth by employees, independent contractors, agents or other representatives;

3. Advertises in newspapers or other periodicals printed and published within this Commonwealth, on billboards or posters located in this Commonwealth, or through materials distributed in this Commonwealth by means other than the United States mail;

4. Makes regular deliveries of tangible personal property within this Commonwealth by means other than common carrier. A person shall be deemed to be making regular deliveries hereunder if vehicles other than those operated by a common carrier enter this Commonwealth more than 12 times during a calendar year to deliver goods sold by him;

5. Solicits business in this Commonwealth on a continuous, regular, seasonal, or systematic basis by means of advertising that is broadcast or relayed from a transmitter within this Commonwealth or distributed from a location within this Commonwealth;

6. Solicits business in this Commonwealth by mail, if the solicitations are continuous, regular, seasonal, or systematic and if the dealer benefits from any banking, financing, debt collection, or marketing activities occurring in this Commonwealth or benefits from the location in this Commonwealth of authorized installation, servicing, or repair facilities;

7. Is owned or controlled by the same interests which own or control a business located within this Commonwealth;

8. Has a franchisee or licensee operating under the same trade name in this Commonwealth if the franchisee or licensee is required to obtain a certificate of registration under § 58.1-603 ;

9. Owns tangible personal property that is for sale located in this Commonwealth, or that is rented or leased to a consumer in this Commonwealth, or offers tangible personal property, on approval, to consumers in this Commonwealth;

10. Receives more than $100,000 in gross revenue, or other minimum amount as may be required by federal law, from retail sales in the Commonwealth in the previous or current calendar year, provided that in determining the amount of a dealer's gross revenues, the sales made by all commonly controlled persons as defined in subsection D shall be aggregated; or

11. Engages in 200 or more separate retail sales transactions, or other minimum amount as may be required by federal law, in the Commonwealth in the previous or current calendar year, provided that in determining the total number of a dealer's retail sales transactions, the sales made by all commonly controlled persons as defined in subsection D shall be aggregated.

D. A dealer is presumed to have sufficient activity within the Commonwealth to require registration under § 58.1-603 (unless the presumption is rebutted as provided herein) if any commonly controlled person maintains a distribution center, warehouse, fulfillment center, office, or similar location within the Commonwealth that facilitates the delivery of tangible personal property sold by the dealer to its customers. The presumption in this subsection may be rebutted by demonstrating that the activities conducted by the commonly controlled person in the Commonwealth are not significantly associated with the dealer's ability to establish or maintain a market in the Commonwealth for the dealer's sales. For purposes of this subsection, a "commonly controlled person" means any person that is a member of the same "controlled group of corporations," as defined in § 1563(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended or renumbered, as the dealer or any other entity that, notwithstanding its form of organization, bears the same ownership relationship to the dealer as a corporation that is a member of the same "controlled group of corporations," as defined in § 1563(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended or renumbered.

E. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the following shall not be considered to determine whether a person that has contracted with a commercial printer for printing in the Commonwealth is a "dealer" and whether such person has sufficient contact with the Commonwealth to be required to register under § 58.1-603 :

1. The ownership or leasing by that person of tangible or intangible property located at the Virginia premises of the commercial printer which is used solely in connection with the printing contract with the person;

2. The sale by that person of property of any kind printed at and shipped or distributed from the Virginia premises of the commercial printer;

3. Activities in connection with the printing contract with the person performed by or on behalf of that person at the Virginia premises of the commercial printer; and

4. Activities in connection with the printing contract with the person performed by the commercial printer within Virginia for or on behalf of that person.

F. In addition to the jurisdictional standards contained in subsections C and D, nothing contained in this chapter other than in subsection E shall limit any authority that this Commonwealth may enjoy under the provisions of federal law or an opinion of the United States Supreme Court to require the collection of sales and use taxes by any dealer that regularly or systematically solicits sales within this Commonwealth. Furthermore, nothing contained in subsection C shall require any broadcaster, printer, outdoor advertising firm, advertising distributor, or publisher which broadcasts, publishes, or displays or distributes paid commercial advertising in this Commonwealth which is intended to be disseminated primarily to consumers located in this Commonwealth to report or impose any liability to pay any tax imposed under this chapter solely because such broadcaster, printer, outdoor advertising firm, advertising distributor, or publisher accepted such advertising contracts from out-of-state advertisers or sellers.

Code 1950, § 58-441.12; 1966, c. 151; 1979, c. 573; 1984, c. 675; 1991, cc. 544, 565; 1995, c. 58.1-603 ; 2012, c. 58.1-603 ; 2013, c. 58.1-603 ; 2017, cc. 58.1-603 , 58.1-603 ; 2019, cc. 58.1-603 , 58.1-603 , 58.1-603 .