§ 6-12-2 — Definitions

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION. Increased in accordance with the formula for inflation adjustment set forth in Exhibit C to the Master Settlement Agreement.
(2) AFFILIATE. A person who directly or indirectly owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under common ownership or control with, another person. Solely for purposes of this definition, the terms “owns,” “is owned,” and “ownership” mean ownership of an equity interest, or the equivalent thereof, of ten percent or more, and the term “person” means an individual, partnership, committee, association, corporation, or any other organization or group of persons.
(3) ALLOCABLE SHARE. Allocable share as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement.
(4) CIGARETTE. Any product that contains nicotine, is intended to be burned or heated under ordinary conditions of use, and consists of or contains (i) any roll of tobacco wrapped in paper or in any substance not containing tobacco; or (ii) tobacco, in any form, that is functional in the product, which, because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette; or (iii) any roll of tobacco wrapped in any substance containing tobacco which, because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette described in item (i). The term “cigarette” includes “roll-your-own”, i.e. any tobacco which, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling is suitable for use and likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco for making cigarettes. For purposes of this definition of cigarette, 0.09 ounces of roll-your-own tobacco shall constitute one individual cigarette.
(5) IMPORTER. Any person in the United States to whom non-tax paid tobacco products or cigarette papers or tubes, or any processed tobacco, manufactured in a foreign country, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or a possession of the United States are shipped or consigned; any person who removes cigars or cigarettes for sale or consumption in the United States from a customs bonded manufacturing warehouse; and any person who smuggles or otherwise unlawfully brings tobacco products or cigarette papers or tubes, or any processed tobacco, into the United States. Federal judicial and administrative determinations and precedents of 26 U.S.C. § 5702(k), as it exists from time to time, may be considered in interpreting this term.
(6) MASTER SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT. The settlement agreement, and related documents, entered into on November 23, 1998, by the state and leading United States tobacco product manufacturers.
(7) QUALIFIED ESCROW FUND. An escrow arrangement with a federally or state chartered financial institution having no affiliation with any tobacco product manufacturer and having assets of at least one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000), where such arrangement requires that such financial institution hold the escrowed funds’ principal for the benefit of releasing parties and prohibits the tobacco product manufacturer placing the funds into escrow from using, accessing, or directing the use of the funds’ principal except as consistent with subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of Section 6-12-3.
(8) RELEASED CLAIMS. Released claims as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement.
(9) RELEASING PARTIES. Releasing parties as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement.
(10) TOBACCO PRODUCT MANUFACTURER. An entity that, after June 9, 1999, directly, and not exclusively through any affiliate:
a. Manufactures cigarettes anywhere that such manufacturer intends to be sold in the United States, including cigarettes intended to be sold in the United States through an importer (except where such importer is an original participating manufacturer, as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement, that will be responsible for the payments under the Master Settlement Agreement with respect to such cigarettes as a result of the provisions of subsections II(mm) of the Master Settlement Agreement and that pays the taxes specified in subsection II(z) of the Master Settlement Agreement, and provided that the manufacturer of such cigarettes does not market or advertise such cigarettes in the United States);
b. Is the first purchaser anywhere for resale in the United States of cigarettes manufactured anywhere that the manufacturer does not intend to be sold in the United States; or
c. Becomes a successor of an entity described in paragraph a. or b.
The term “Tobacco Product Manufacturer” shall not include an affiliate of a tobacco product manufacturer unless such affiliate itself falls within any of a., b., or c. above.
(11) UNITS SOLD. The number of individual cigarettes sold in the state by the applicable tobacco product manufacturer, whether directly or through a distributor, retailer, or similar intermediary or intermediaries, during the year in question, as measured by excise taxes collected by the state on packs, or roll-your-own tobacco containers, bearing the excise tax stamp of the state. In addition to and without limiting the foregoing, the term units sold shall also include the number of individual cigarettes sold in the state by the tobacco product manufacturer, whether directly or through a distributor, retailer, or similar intermediary or intermediaries, during the year in question, as to which the state had power under federal law to impose or collect excise tax, or both, but did not. Without limiting the foregoing, this term specifically includes the following cigarettes, provided such cigarettes were not sold in a transaction that is exempted from Alabama taxation by federal statute or constitution: a. cigarettes sold to a consumer without payment of the cigarette excise tax on the reservation lands of a federally-recognized Native American tribe, b. cigarettes sold for retail sale in Alabama which were exempted from taxation pursuant to Chapter 9, Article 1 of Title 40 and any rule promulgated pursuant thereto, and c. cigarettes sold by a seller located outside of Alabama directly to a consumer in this state, without payment of the cigarette excise tax, via mail order, telephone, Internet, or other remote means. The Department of Revenue shall promulgate such regulations as are necessary to ascertain the amount of state excise tax paid on the cigarettes of such tobacco product manufacturer for each year.

Legislative History

(Act 99-395, p. 652, §2; Act 2000-591, p. 1087, §1; Act 2001-344, p. 446, §1; Act 2014-341, p. 1266, §1.)