Virginia Law

Article 9. Virginia Motor Vehicle Rental and Peer-To-Peer Vehicle Sharing Tax.

This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Virginia Motor Vehicle Rental and Peer-to-Peer Vehicle Sharing Tax Act."

2011, cc. 405, 639; 2020, c. 1266.

The definitions in § 46.2-1408 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to this article.

As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:

"Daily rental vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for rental as defined in this section and for the transportation of persons or property, whether on its own structure or by drawing another vehicle or vehicles, except (i) a motorcycle or a manufactured home as defined in § 46.2-100 or (ii) a shared vehicle as defined in § 46.2-1408.

"Gross proceeds" means the charges made or voluntary contributions received for the rental or peer-to-peer vehicle sharing of a motor vehicle where the rental, lease, or vehicle sharing platform agreement is for a period of less than 12 months. The term "gross proceeds" shall not include:

1. Cash discounts allowed and actually taken on a rental contract;

2. Finance charges, carrying charges, service charges, or interest from credit given on a rental contract;

3. Charges for motor fuels;

4. Charges for optional accidental death insurance;

5. Taxes or fees levied or imposed pursuant to Chapter 24 (§ 58.1-2400 et seq.);

6. Any violations, citations, or fines and related penalties and fees;

7. Delivery charges, pickup charges, recovery charges, or drop charges;

8. Pass-through charges;

9. Transportation charges;

10. Third-party service charges; or

11. Refueling surcharges.

"Mobile office" means an industrialized building unit not subject to federal regulation, which may be constructed on a chassis for the purpose of towing to the point of use and designed to be used with or without a permanent foundation, for commercial use and not for residential use; or two or more such units separately towable but designed to be joined together at the point of use to form a single commercial structure, and which may be designed for removal to, and installation or erection on, other sites.

"Motor vehicle" means every vehicle, except for a mobile office as herein defined, that is self-propelled or designed for self-propulsion and every vehicle drawn by or designed to be drawn by a motor vehicle, including manufactured homes as defined in § 46.2-100 and every device in, upon, and by which any person or property is, or can be, transported or drawn upon a highway, but excepting devices moved by human or animal power, devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks, and vehicles, other than manufactured homes, used in the Commonwealth but not required to be licensed by the Commonwealth.

"Rental" means the transfer of the possession or use of a motor vehicle, whether or not the motor vehicle is required to be licensed by the Commonwealth, by a person for a consideration, without the transfer of the ownership of such motor vehicle, for a period of less than 12 months. Any fee arrangement between the holder of a permit issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles for taxicab services and the driver or drivers of such taxicabs shall not be deemed a rental under this section. Any fee arrangement between a licensed driver training school and a student in that school, whereby the student may use a vehicle owned or leased by the school to perform a road skills test administered by the Department of Motor Vehicles, shall not be deemed a rental under this section.

"Rental in the Commonwealth" means any rental where a person received delivery of a motor vehicle within the Commonwealth. The term "Commonwealth" shall include all land or interest in land within the Commonwealth owned by or conveyed to the United States of America.

"Rentor" means a person engaged in the rental of motor vehicles for consideration as defined in this section.

2011, cc. 405, 639; 2013, c. 84; 2020, c. 1266.

A. There is hereby levied, in addition to all other taxes and fees of every kind now imposed by law, a tax upon the rental of a motor vehicle in Virginia, without regard to whether such vehicle is required to be licensed by the Commonwealth. However, such tax shall not be levied upon a rental to a person for re-rental as an established business or part of an established business, or incidental or germane to such business.

The amount of the tax to be collected shall be determined by the Tax Commissioner by the application of the following rates against the gross proceeds:

1. Four percent of the gross proceeds from the rental in Virginia of any motor vehicle, except those with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more.

2. In addition to the tax levied pursuant to subdivision A 1, a tax of four percent of the gross proceeds shall be levied on the rental in Virginia of any daily rental vehicle, whether or not such vehicle is required to be licensed in the Commonwealth.

3. In addition to all other applicable taxes and fees, a fee of two percent of the gross proceeds shall be imposed on the rental in Virginia of any daily rental vehicle, whether or not such vehicle is required to be licensed in the Commonwealth. For purposes of this article, the rental fee shall be implemented, enforced, and collected in the same manner that rental taxes are implemented, enforced, and collected.

B. A motor vehicle subject to the tax imposed under subdivision A 1 of this section shall be subject to the tax under subdivision A 1 or A 2 of § 58.1-2402 when it ceases to be used for rental as an established business or part of an established business, or incidental or germane to such business.

C. Any motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer exempt from this tax under subdivision 1 or 2 of § 58.1-1737 shall be subject to the tax when such vehicle is no longer rented by the United States government or any governmental agency thereof, or the Commonwealth of Virginia or any political subdivision thereof, unless at such time the vehicle is sold or its ownership is otherwise transferred, in which case the tax imposed by § 58.1-2402 shall apply, subject to the exemptions provided for in § 58.1-2403.

D. There is hereby levied a tax upon peer-to-peer vehicle sharing, without regard to whether a shared vehicle is required to be licensed by the Commonwealth.

1. Beginning July 1, 2020, and ending July 1, 2021, in lieu of the tax levied under subsection A, if a shared vehicle owner registers no more than 10 different shared vehicles on any combination of peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platforms at any one time, the tax shall be imposed at a rate of six and one-half percent on the gross proceeds paid by the shared vehicle driver for the peer-to-peer vehicle sharing in the Commonwealth of any shared vehicle.

2. Beginning July 1, 2021, and thereafter, in lieu of the tax levied under subsection A, if a shared vehicle owner registers no more than 10 different shared vehicles on any combination of peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platforms at any one time, the tax shall be imposed at a rate of seven percent on the gross proceeds paid by the shared vehicle driver for the peer-to-peer vehicle sharing in the Commonwealth of any shared vehicle.

3. However, if, and for so long as, a shared vehicle owner registers more than 10 different vehicles on any combination of peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platforms at any one time, the taxes levied on the gross proceeds paid by the shared vehicle driver shall be the same taxes imposed and collected on the rental of a motor vehicle and a daily rental vehicle pursuant to subdivisions A 1, 2, and 3.

E. A peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platform shall require all shared vehicle owners to certify to the peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platform whether the shared vehicle owner or any affiliate or subsidiary has registered more than 10 different shared vehicles on any combination of platforms at any one time. A shared vehicle owner is under a continuing obligation to immediately notify all platforms upon which he has vehicles registered, if the registration of a shared vehicle on a platform by the shared vehicle owner will cause the shared vehicle owner to exceed 10 or more different shared vehicles registered on any combination of peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platforms at any one time. Such notification shall occur prior to sharing any additional shared vehicles on any platform, not including those already subject to a vehicle sharing platform agreement at the time the additional vehicle is registered with the platform by the shared vehicle owner. Failure by the shared vehicle owner to immediately notify any platform shall subject the shared vehicle owner to payment of the taxes due and applicable penalties. Any affirmation or notification by the shared vehicle owner of such certifications shall require the peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platform to collect the taxes pursuant to subsection A.

2011, cc. 405, 639; 2020, c. 1266.

No tax shall be imposed as provided in § 58.1-1736 if the vehicle is:

1. Rented by the United States government or any governmental agency thereof;

2. Rented by the Commonwealth of Virginia or any political subdivision thereof;

3. A self-contained mobile computerized axial tomography scanner rented by a nonprofit hospital or a cooperative hospital service organization as described in § 501(e) of the Internal Revenue Code;

4. A self-contained mobile unit designed exclusively for human diagnostic or therapeutic service, rented to a nonprofit hospital or a cooperative hospital service organization as described in § 501(e) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a nonprofit corporation as defined in § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, established for research in, diagnosis of, or therapy for human ailments; or

5. A truck, tractor truck, trailer, or semitrailer, as severally defined in § 46.2-100, except trailers and semitrailers not designed or used to carry property and vehicles registered under § 46.2-700, with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, in which case no tax shall be imposed pursuant to subdivision A 1 of § 58.1-1736.

2011, cc. 405, 639.

A. The tax on the rental of a motor vehicle pursuant to subsection A of § 58.1-1736 shall be paid by the person renting such motor vehicle, collected by the rentor of such motor vehicle, and remitted to the Tax Commissioner on or before the twentieth day of the month following the month in which the gross proceeds from such rental were due. All of the responsibilities imposed on dealers in Chapter 6 (§ 58.1-600 et seq.) shall apply to rentors for purposes of this article, except the provision in subsection A of § 58.1-615 requiring a sales or use tax return to be filed when the dealer is not liable to remit to the Tax Commissioner any tax for the period covered by the return. The tax on rental transactions in the Commonwealth shall apply regardless of the state for which a certificate of title is required.

B. The tax on the sharing of a motor vehicle pursuant to subsection D of § 58.1-1736 shall be paid by the shared vehicle driver. The tax shall be collectible from the peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platforms that have established sufficient contact with the Commonwealth by meeting at least one requirement in each of subdivisions C 1, 2, and 3 of § 58.1-612.1, mutatis mutandis. Shared vehicle owners are not eligible to collect taxes on shared vehicle transactions where such taxes are collectible by a peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platform. The tax shall be remitted to the Tax Commissioner on or before the twentieth day of the month following the month in which the gross proceeds from such sharing were due. The tax on peer-to-peer vehicle sharing in the Commonwealth shall apply regardless of the state for which a certificate of title for a shared vehicle is required.

C. The provisions of Chapter 6 (§ 58.1-600 et seq.) shall apply to this article, mutatis mutandis, except as herein provided.

2011, cc. 405, 639; 2019, c. 53; 2020, c. 1266.

The Tax Commissioner may, in his discretion, upon request duly received from the official charged with the duty of enforcement of motor vehicle tax laws of any other state, forward to such official any information that he may have in his possession relative to the registration and payment of any tax collected pursuant to this article.

2011, cc. 405, 639.

Credit shall be granted any rentor subject to the additional tax on the rental of a daily rental passenger car for a portion of the tangible personal property tax assessed by a Virginia locality on such car for a tax year ending after June 30, 1981. The amount of such credit shall be equal to the ratio of the number of months in such tax year after June 30 to the total number of months in the tax year. Any such credit may be carried over from month to month for a period of up to six months or until fully absorbed, whichever occurs first. To the extent any credit is claimed hereunder as to any tangible personal property tax properly assessed and not actually paid when due, such credit shall be subject to collection as an underpayment of the additional tax imposed under subdivision A 2 of § 58.1-1736 as of the date the credit was claimed, with penalties and interest as provided in § 58.1-2411, mutatis mutandis.

2011, cc. 405, 639.

A. After the direct costs of administering this article are recovered by the Department of Taxation, the remaining revenues collected hereunder by the Tax Commissioner shall be forthwith paid into the state treasury. Except as otherwise provided in this section, these funds shall constitute special funds within the Commonwealth Transportation Fund. Any balances remaining in these funds at the end of the year shall be available for use in subsequent years for the purposes set forth in this article, and any interest income on such funds shall accrue to these funds. The revenue so derived, after refunds have been deducted, is hereby allocated for the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of highways and the regulation of traffic thereon and for no other purpose.

B. However, (i) all funds collected from the additional tax imposed by subdivision A 2 of § 58.1-1736 on the rental of daily rental vehicles and, beginning July 1, 2020, and ending July 1, 2021, an amount equal to a two and one-half percent tax on peer-to-peer vehicle sharing pursuant to subsection D of § 58.1-1736 and, beginning July 1, 2021, and thereafter, an amount equal to a three percent tax on peer-to-peer vehicle sharing pursuant to subsection D of § 58.1-1736 shall be distributed quarterly to the county, city, or town wherein such vehicle was delivered to the rentee or the shared vehicle driver; (ii) except as provided in clause (iii), an amount equivalent to the net additional revenues from the motor vehicle rental tax generated by enactments of the 1986 Special Session of the Virginia General Assembly which amended §§ 46.2-694, 46.2-697, and by §§ 58.1-1735, 58.1-1736 and this section, shall be distributed to and paid into the Commonwealth Transportation Fund established pursuant to § 33.2-1524, and are hereby appropriated to the Commonwealth Transportation Board for transportation needs; (iii) all moneys collected from the tax on the gross proceeds from the rental in Virginia of any motor vehicle pursuant to subdivision A 1 of § 58.1-1736 at the tax rate in effect on December 31, 1986, and an amount equal to a four percent tax on the gross proceeds on peer-to-peer vehicle sharing pursuant to subsection D of § 58.1-1736 shall be paid by the Tax Commissioner into the state treasury and two-thirds of which shall be paid into the Commonwealth Transportation Fund established pursuant to § 33.2-1524 and one-third of which shall be deposited into the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Capital Fund pursuant to § 33.2-3401; and (iv) all additional revenues resulting from the fee imposed under subdivision A 3 of § 58.1-1736 shall be used to pay the debt service on the bonds issued by the Virginia Public Building Authority for the Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) for the Department of State Police pursuant to the authority granted by the 2004 Session of the General Assembly.

2011, cc. 405, 639; 2015, c. 684; 2018, cc. 854, 856; 2020, cc. 1230, 1266, 1275.