| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the packing of agricultural |
| 3 | products; amending s. 212.08, F.S.; providing an |
| 4 | exemption from the tax on sales, use, and other |
| 5 | transactions for electricity used by packinghouses; |
| 6 | defining the term "packinghouse"; providing an |
| 7 | effective date. |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (5) of section |
| 12 | 212.08, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 13 | 212.08 Sales, rental, use, consumption, distribution, and |
| 14 | storage tax; specified exemptions.-The sale at retail, the |
| 15 | rental, the use, the consumption, the distribution, and the |
| 16 | storage to be used or consumed in this state of the following |
| 17 | are hereby specifically exempt from the tax imposed by this |
| 18 | chapter. |
| 19 | (5) EXEMPTIONS; ACCOUNT OF USE.- |
| 20 | (e) Gas or electricity used for certain agricultural |
| 21 | purposes.- |
| 22 | 1. Butane gas, propane gas, natural gas, and all other |
| 23 | forms of liquefied petroleum gases are exempt from the tax |
| 24 | imposed by this chapter if used in any tractor, vehicle, or |
| 25 | other farm equipment which is used exclusively on a farm or for |
| 26 | processing farm products on the farm and no part of which gas is |
| 27 | used in any vehicle or equipment driven or operated on the |
| 28 | public highways of this state. This restriction does not apply |
| 29 | to the movement of farm vehicles or farm equipment between |
| 30 | farms. The transporting of bees by water and the operating of |
| 31 | equipment used in the apiary of a beekeeper is also deemed an |
| 32 | exempt use. |
| 33 | 2. Electricity used directly or indirectly for production, |
| 34 | packing, or processing of agricultural products on the farm, or |
| 35 | used directly or indirectly in a packinghouse, is exempt from |
| 36 | the tax imposed by this chapter. As used in this subsection, the |
| 37 | term "packinghouse" means any building or structure where fruits |
| 38 | and vegetables are packed or otherwise prepared for market or |
| 39 | shipment in fresh form for wholesale distribution. The exemption |
| 40 | does not apply to electricity used in buildings or structures |
| 41 | where agricultural products are sold at retail. This exemption |
| 42 | applies only if the electricity used for the exempt purposes is |
| 43 | separately metered. If the electricity is not separately |
| 44 | metered, it is conclusively presumed that some portion of the |
| 45 | electricity is used for a nonexempt purpose, and all of the |
| 46 | electricity used for such purposes is taxable. |
| 47 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012. |