(a) The governing body of the county is hereby authorized to levy and impose in the county, in addition to all other taxes of every kind now imposed by law, and to collect as herein provided, a privilege or license tax on account of the business activities and in the amount to be determined by the application of rates against gross sales or gross receipts, as the case may be, as follows:
(1) Upon every person, firm, or corporation (including the State of Alabama, the University of Alabama, Auburn University, and all other institutions of higher learning in the state, whether such institutions be denominational, state, county, or municipal institutions, any association or other agency or instrumentality of such institutions) engaged or continuing within the county in the business of selling at retail any tangible personal property whatsoever, including merchandise and commodities of every kind and character (not including, however, bonds or other evidences of debts or stocks, nor sales of materials and supplies to any person for use in fulfilling a contract for the painting, repair, or reconditioning of vessels, barges, ships, and other watercraft of over 50 tons burden), an amount not exceeding one percent of the gross proceeds of sales of the business, except where a different amount is expressly provided herein; provided, however, that any person engaging or continuing in business as a retailer and wholesaler or jobber shall pay the tax required on the gross proceeds of retail sales of such business at the rates specified when his or her books are kept so as to show separately the gross proceeds of sales of each business, and when his or her books are not so kept he or she shall pay the tax as a retailer, on the gross sales of the business; and provided further, that where any used part, including tires, of an automotive vehicle or a truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer is taken in trade, or in a series of trades, as a credit or part payment on the sale of a new or rebuilt part or tire, the tax authorized to be levied herein shall be paid on the net difference, that is, the price of the new or used part or tire sold less the credit for the used part or tire taken in trade, provided, however, that this provision shall not be construed to include batteries;
(2) Upon every person, firm, or corporation engaged or continuing within the county in the business of conducting or operating places of amusement or entertainment, billiard and pool rooms, bowling alleys, amusement devices, musical devices, theaters, opera houses, moving picture shows, vaudevilles, amusement parks, athletic contests, including wrestling matches, prize fights, boxing and wrestling exhibitions, football and baseball games (including athletic contests conducted by or under the auspices of any educational institution within the state, or any athletic association thereof, or other association whether such institution or association be a denominational, a state, county, or a municipal institution or association or a state, county or city school, or other institution, association, or school), skating rinks, race tracks, golf courses, or any other place at which any exhibition, display, amusement, or entertainment is offered to the public or place or places where an admission fee is charged, including public bathing places, public dance halls of every kind and description within the county, an amount not exceeding one percent of the gross receipts of any such business;
(3) Upon every person, firm, or corporation engaged or continuing within the county in the business of selling at retail machines used in mining, quarrying, compounding, processing, and manufacturing of tangible personal property an amount not exceeding three-eighths of one percent of the gross proceeds of the sale of such machines; provided that the term machines as herein used shall include machinery which is used for mining, quarrying, compounding, processing, or manufacturing tangible personal property and the parts of such machines, attachments, and replacements therefor, which are made or manufactured for use on or in the operation of such machines and which are necessary to the operation of such machines and are customarily so used;
(4) Upon every person, firm, or corporation engaged or continuing within the county in the business of selling at retail any automotive vehicle or truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer, an amount not exceeding three-eighths of one percent of the gross proceeds of sale of the automotive vehicle or truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer; provided, that where a person subject to the tax provided for in this subdivision withdraws from his or her stock in trade any automotive vehicle or truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer for use by him or her or by his or her employee or agent in the operation of such business, there shall be paid, in lieu of the tax authorized to be levied herein, a fee of one dollar twenty-five cents ($1.25) per year or part thereof during which such automotive vehicle, truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer shall remain the property of such person; provided, that each such year or part thereof shall be deemed to begin with the day or anniversary date, as the case may be, of such withdrawal and shall run for the 12 succeeding months or part thereof during which such automotive vehicle, truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer shall remain the property of such person; and provided further, that where any used automotive vehicle or truck trailer, semitrailer, or house trailer is taken in trade, or in a series of trades, as a credit or part payment on the sale of a new or used vehicle, the tax authorized to be levied herein shall be paid on the net difference, that is, the price of the new or used vehicle sold less the credit for the used vehicle taken in trade;
(5) Upon every person, firm, or corporation engaged or continuing within the county in the business of selling, through coin-operated dispensing machines, food and food products for human consumption, not including beverages other than coffee, milk, milk products and substitutes therefor, an amount not exceeding three-fourths of one percent of the cost of such food, food products and beverages sold though such machines, which cost for the purpose of this subdivision shall be the gross proceeds of sales of such business; and
(6) Upon every person, firm, or corporation engaged or continuing within the county in the business of selling at retail any machine, machinery, or equipment which is used in planting, cultivating, and harvesting farm products, or used in connection with the production of agricultural produce or products, livestock, or poultry on farms, and the parts of such machines, machinery, or equipment, attachments and replacements therefor which are made or manufactured for use on or in the operation of such machine, machinery, or equipment, and which are necessary to and customarily used in the operation of such machine, machinery, or equipment, an amount not exceeding three-eights of one percent of the gross proceeds of the sale thereof; provided, that the three-eighths of one percent rate herein prescribed with respect to parts, attachments, and replacements shall not apply to any automotive vehicle or trailer designed primarily for public highway use, except farm trailers used primarily in the production and harvesting of agricultural commodities; and provided further, that where any used machine, machinery, or equipment which is used in planting, cultivating, and harvesting farm products, or used in connection with the production of agricultural produce or products, livestock, and poultry on farms is taken in trade or in a series of trades as a credit or part payment on a sale of a new or used machine, machinery, or equipment, the tax herein authorized to be levied shall be paid on the net difference, that is, the price of the new or used machine, machinery, or equipment sold, less the credit for the used machine, machinery, or equipment taken in trade.
(b) There are exempted, however, from this section and from the computation of the amount of the taxes authorized to be imposed in this section, the gross receipts of any business and the gross proceeds of all sales which are presently exempted under the state sales tax statutes from the computation of the amount of the state sales tax