§ 120-70.106.  Purpose and powers of Committee.

(a) The Revenue Laws Study Committee may:

(1) Study the revenue laws of North Carolina and the administration of those laws.

(2) Review the State's revenue laws to determine which laws need clarification, technical amendment, repeal, or other change to make the laws concise, intelligible, easy to administer, and equitable.

(2a) Review any tax provision set to sunset within one year of the beginning of next regular session of the General Assembly to determine whether the sunset needs to be extended.

(3) Call upon the Department of Revenue to cooperate with it in the study of the revenue laws.

(4) Report to the General Assembly at the beginning of each regular session concerning its determinations of needed changes in the State's revenue laws.

These powers, which are enumerated by way of illustration, shall be liberally construed to provide for the maximum review by the Committee of all revenue law matters in this State.

(b) The Committee may make interim reports to the General Assembly on matters for which it may report to a regular session of the General Assembly. A report to the General Assembly may contain any legislation needed to implement a recommendation of the Committee. When a recommendation of the Committee, if enacted, would result in an increase or decrease in State revenues, the report of the Committee must include an estimate of the amount of the increase or decrease.

(c) The Revenue Laws Study Committee must review the effect Article 42 of Chapter 66 of the General Statutes, as enacted by S.L. 2006-151, has on the issues listed in this section to determine if any changes to the law are needed:

(1) Competition in video programming services.

(2) The number of cable service subscribers, the price of cable service by service tier, and the technology used to deliver the service.

(3) The deployment of broadband in the State.

The Committee must review the impact of this Article on these issues every two years and report its findings to the North Carolina General Assembly. The Committee must make its first report to the 2008 Session of the North Carolina General Assembly.

(d) An establishment to which permits may be issued pursuant to G.S. 18B-1006(n1), as enacted by S.L. 2016-23, is designated a special class of property under Section 2(2) of Article V of the North Carolina Constitution, and the motor fuel sold by that establishment is taxable in accordance with this subsection. Notwithstanding G.S. 105-449.80, the motor fuel excise tax rate for an establishment to which permits may be issued pursuant to G.S. 18B-1006(n1), as enacted by S.L. 2016-23, is twenty-eight cents (28¢) per gallon. The Revenue Laws Study Committee shall annually compare the motor fuel excise tax rate imposed by this subsection with the rate levied by the State of South Carolina on motor fuels and may recommend a change in the rate imposed by this subsection to an amount no greater than the rate then in effect for the State of South Carolina. An establishment designated as a special class of property by this subsection may obtain monthly refunds on the difference between the motor fuel excise tax imposed under G.S. 105-449.80 and the motor fuel excise tax imposed by this subsection. The Department of Revenue shall calculate for each calendar year the difference between the motor fuel excise tax that would have been imposed under G.S. 105-449.80 on the motor fuel sold by an establishment classified by this subsection in the absence of this classification and the motor fuel excise tax that was imposed on the motor fuel sold by the establishment due to the classification. The difference in taxes, together with any interest, penalties, or costs that may accrue thereon, are a lien on the real property underlying the establishment as provided in G.S. 105-355(a). The difference in taxes shall be carried forward in the records of the Department as deferred taxes. The deferred taxes for the preceding three calendar years are due and payable on the day this subsection becomes ineffective due to the occurrence of a disqualifying event; provided, however, the amount collected for deferred taxes pursuant to this subsection does not exceed the tax value of the property. A disqualifying event occurs when the title to the real property underlying the establishment is transferred to a new owner. A lien for deferred taxes is extinguished when the amount required by this subsection is paid. (1997-483, s. 14.1; 2006-151, s. 21; 2016-23, s. 2(b); 2017-102, s. 19.1; 2018-5, s. 38.6(g)-(l); 2019-246, s. 5.)