§ 42-5073 — Amusement classification

A. The amusement classification is comprised of the business of operating or conducting theaters, movies, operas, shows of any type or nature, exhibitions, concerts, carnivals, circuses, amusement parks, menageries, fairs, races, contests, games, billiard or pool parlors, bowling alleys, public dances, dance halls, boxing and wrestling matches, skating rinks, tennis courts, except as provided in subsection B of this section, video games, pinball machines or sports events or any other business charging admission or user fees for exhibition, amusement or entertainment, including the operation or sponsorship of events by a tourism and sports authority under title 5, chapter 8. For the purposes of this section, admission or user fees include, but are not limited to, any revenues derived from any form of contractual agreement for rights to or use of premium or special seating facilities or arrangements. The amusement classification does not include:

1. Activities or projects of bona fide religious or educational institutions.

2. Private or group instructional activities. For the purposes of this paragraph, "private or group instructional activities" includes, but is not limited to, performing arts, martial arts, gymnastics and aerobic instruction.

3. The operation or sponsorship of events by the Arizona exposition and state fair board or county fair commissions.

4. A musical, dramatic or dance group or a botanical garden, museum or zoo that is qualified as a nonprofit charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States internal revenue code if no part of its net income inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

5. Exhibition events in this state sponsored, conducted or operated by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6) of the internal revenue code if the organization is associated with major league baseball teams or a national touring professional golfing association and no part of the organization's net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. This paragraph does not apply to an organization that is owned, managed or controlled, in whole or in part, by a major league baseball team, or its owners, officers, employees or agents, or by a major league baseball association or professional golfing association, or its owners, officers, employees or agents, unless the organization conducted or operated exhibition events in this state before January 1, 2018 that were exempt from taxation under this section.

6. Operating or sponsoring rodeos that feature primarily farm and ranch animals in this state and that are sponsored, conducted or operated by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6), 501(c)(7) or 501(c)(8) of the internal revenue code if no part of the organization's net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

7. Sales of admissions to intercollegiate football contests if the contests are both:

(a) Operated by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code and no part of the organization's net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

(b) Not held in a multipurpose facility that is owned or operated by the tourism and sports authority pursuant to title 5, chapter 8.

8. Activities and events of, or fees and assessments received by, a homeowners organization from persons who are members of the organization or accompanied guests of members. For the purposes of this paragraph, "homeowners organization" means a mandatory membership organization comprised of owners of residential property within a specified residential real estate subdivision development or similar area and established to own property for the benefit of its members where both of the following apply:

(a) No part of the organization's net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

(b) The primary purpose of the organization is to provide for the acquisition, construction, management, maintenance or care of organization property.

9. Activities and events of, or fees received by, a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(6) of the internal revenue code if the organization produces, organizes or promotes cultural or civic related festivals or events and no part of the organization's net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

10. Arranging an amusement activity as a service to a person's customers if that person is not otherwise engaged in the business of operating or conducting an amusement personally or through others. This exception does not apply to businesses that operate or conduct amusements pursuant to customer orders and send the billings and receive the payments associated with that activity, including when the amusement is performed by third-party independent contractors. For the purposes of this paragraph, "arranging" includes billing for or collecting amusement charges from a person's customers on behalf of the persons providing the amusement.

B. The tax base for the amusement classification is the gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from the business, except that the following shall be deducted from the tax base:

1. The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from memberships, including initiation fees, that provide for the right to use a health or fitness establishment or a private recreational establishment, or any portion of an establishment, including tennis and other racquet courts at that establishment, for participatory purposes for twenty-eight days or more and fees charged for use of the health or fitness establishment or private recreational establishment by bona fide accompanied guests of members, except that this paragraph does not include additional fees, other than initiation fees, charged by a health or fitness establishment or a private recreational establishment for purposes other than memberships that provide for the right to use a health or fitness establishment or private recreational establishment, or any portion of an establishment, for participatory purposes for twenty-eight days or more and accompanied guest use fees.

2. Amounts that are exempt under section 5-111, subsection G.

3. The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from membership fees, including initiation fees, that provide for the right to use a transient lodging recreational establishment, including golf courses and tennis and other racquet courts at that establishment, for participatory purposes for twenty-eight days or more, except that this paragraph does not include additional fees, other than initiation fees, that are charged by a transient lodging recreational establishment for purposes other than memberships and that provide for the right to use a transient lodging recreational establishment or any portion of the establishment for participatory purposes for twenty-eight days or more.

4. The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from sales to persons engaged in the business of transient lodging classified under section 42-5070, if all of the following apply:

(a) The persons who are engaged in the transient lodging business sell the amusement to another person for consideration.

(b) The consideration received by the transient lodging business is equal to or greater than the amount to be deducted under this subsection.

(c) The transient lodging business has provided an exemption certificate to the person engaging in business under this section.

5. The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from:

(a) Business activity that is properly included in any other business classification under this article and that is taxable to the person engaged in that classification, but the gross proceeds of sales or gross income to be deducted shall not exceed the consideration paid to the person conducting the activity.

(b) Business activity that is arranged by the person who is subject to tax under this section and that is not taxable to the person conducting the activity due to an exclusion, exemption or deduction under this section or section 42-5062, but the gross proceeds of sales or gross income to be deducted shall not exceed the consideration paid to the person conducting the activity.

(c) Business activity that is arranged by a person who is subject to tax under this section and that is taxable to another person under this section who conducts the activity, but the gross proceeds of sales or gross income to be deducted shall not exceed the consideration paid to the person conducting the activity.

6. The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from entry fees paid by participants for events that either:

(a) Until March 1, 2017, consist of a run, walk, swim or bicycle ride or a similar event, or any combination of these events.

(b) Are operated or conducted by nonprofit organizations that are exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code and of which no part of the organization's net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, if the event consists of a run, walk, swim or bicycle ride or a similar event, or any combination of these events.

C. For the purposes of subsection B of this section:

1. "Health or fitness establishment" means a facility whose primary purpose is to provide facilities, equipment, instruction or education to promote the health and fitness of its members and at least eighty percent of the monthly gross revenue of the facility is received through accounts of memberships and accompanied guest use fees that provide for the right to use the facility, or any portion of the facility, under the terms of the membership agreement for participatory purposes for twenty-eight days or more.

2. "Private recreational establishment" means a facility whose primary purpose is to provide recreational facilities, such as tennis, golf and swimming, for its members and where at least eighty percent of the monthly gross revenue of the facility is received through accounts of memberships and accompanied guest use fees that provide for the right to use the facility, or any portion of the facility, for participatory purposes for twenty-eight days or more.

3. "Transient lodging recreational establishment" means a facility whose primary purpose is to provide facilities for transient lodging, that is subject to taxation under this chapter and that also provides recreational facilities, such as tennis, golf and swimming, for members for a period of twenty-eight days or more.

D. Until December 31, 1988, the revenues from hayrides and other animal-drawn amusement rides, from horseback riding and riding instruction and from recreational tours using motor vehicles designed to operate on and off public highways are exempt from the tax imposed by this section. Beginning January 1, 1989, the gross proceeds or gross income from hayrides and other animal-drawn amusement rides, from horseback riding and from recreational tours using motor vehicles designed to operate on and off public highways are subject to taxation under this section. Tax liabilities, penalties and interest paid for taxable periods before January 1, 1989 shall not be refunded unless the taxpayer requesting the refund provides proof satisfactory to the department that the taxes will be returned to the customer.

E. If a person is engaged in the business of offering both exhibition, amusement or entertainment and private or group instructional activities, the person's books shall be kept to show separately the gross income from exhibition, amusement or entertainment and the gross income from instructional activities. If the books do not provide this separate accounting, the tax is imposed on the person's total gross income from the business.

F. The department shall separately account for revenues collected under the amusement classification for the purposes of section 42-5029, subsection D, paragraph 4, subdivision (b).

G. For the purposes of section 42-5032.01, the department shall separately account for revenues collected under the amusement classification from sales of admissions to:

1. Events that are held in a multipurpose facility that is owned or operated by the tourism and sports authority pursuant to title 5, chapter 8, including intercollegiate football contests that are operated by a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code.

2. Professional football contests that are held in a stadium located on the campus of an institution under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents.

H. For the purposes of section 42-5032.03 and subject to section 48-4238, beginning October 1, 2025 and each month thereafter through December 31, 2055, the department shall separately account for revenues collected under the amusement classification from the sales of admissions to a major league baseball facility that is owned by a county stadium district pursuant to title 48, chapter 26 and operated by the county stadium district or the professional baseball franchise organization that occupies the major league baseball facility. For the purposes of this subsection, "major league baseball facility" has the same meaning prescribed in section 48-4201.