57-36-26. Cigars, pipe tobacco, and other tobacco products--Excise tax payable by dealers--Reports--Penalties--Collection--Allocation of revenue

1. There is levied and assessed, upon all cigars and pipe tobacco purchased in another state and brought into this state by a dealer for the purpose of sale at retail, an excise tax at the rate of twenty-eight percent of the wholesale purchase price and, upon all other tobacco products purchased in another state and brought into this state by a dealer for the purpose of sale at retail, an excise tax at the rates indicated in section 57-36-25 , at the time the products were brought into this state.  For the purposes of this section, the term “wholesale purchase price” means the established price for which a manufacturer sells cigars or pipe tobacco to a distributor exclusive of any discount or other reduction.  However, the dealer may elect to report and remit the tax on the cost price of the products to the dealer rather than on the wholesale purchase price.  The proceeds of the tax, together with the forms of return and in accordance with any rules and regulations the tax commissioner may prescribe, must be remitted to the tax commissioner by the dealer on a monthly basis on or before the fifteenth day of the month following the monthly period for which it is paid.  The tax commissioner shall have the authority to place any dealer on an annual remittance basis when in the judgment of the tax commissioner the operations of the dealer merit that remittance period.  In addition, the tax commissioner shall have the authority to permit the consolidation of the filing of a dealer's return when the dealer has more than one location and thereby would be required to file more than one return.
2. If cigars, pipe tobacco, or other tobacco products have been subjected already to a tax by any other state in respect to their sale in an amount less than the tax imposed by this section, the provisions of this section apply, but at a rate measured by the difference only between the rate fixed in this section and the rate by which the previous tax upon the sale was computed.  If the tax imposed in the other state is twenty percent of the wholesale purchase price or more, then no tax is due on the article.  The provisions of this subsection apply only if the other state allows a tax credit with respect to the excise tax on cigars, pipe tobacco, or other tobacco products imposed by this state which is substantially similar in effect to the credit allowed by this subsection.
3. Any person failing to file any prescribed forms of return or to pay any tax within the time required by this section is subject to a penalty of five dollars or a sum equal to five percent of the tax due, whichever is greater, plus one percent of the tax for each month of delay or fraction thereof excepting the month within which the return was required to be filed or the tax became due.  The tax commissioner, if satisfied that the delay was excusable, may waive all or any part of the penalty.  The penalty must be paid to the tax commissioner and disposed of in the same manner as are other receipts under this chapter.
4. All moneys received by the tax commissioner under the provisions of this section must be transmitted to the state treasurer at the end of each month and deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the general fund.