§ 6 — Payment of excise; reports and examination of records of carriers, warehousemen, etc.; amount credited to Commonwealth Care Trust Fund

Section 6. Every licensee who is required to file a return under section 16 of chapter 62C shall, at the time of filing such return, pay to the commissioner an excise equal to 1501/2 mills plus any amount by which the federal excise tax on cigarettes is less than 8 mills for each cigarette so sold during the calendar month covered by the return; provided, however, that cigarettes with respect to which the excise under this section has once been imposed and has not been refunded, if paid, shall not be subject upon a subsequent sale to the excise imposed by this section. Each unclassified acquirer shall, at the time of filing a return required by said section 16 of said chapter 62C, pay to the commissioner an excise equal to 1501/2 mills plus any amount by which the federal excise tax on cigarettes is less than 8 mills for each cigarette so imported or acquired and held for sale or consumption, and cigarettes, with respect to which such excise has been imposed and has not been refunded, if paid, shall not be subject, when subsequently sold, to any further excise under this section. The commissioner may, in the commissioner's discretion, require reports from any common carrier who transports cigarettes to any point or points within the commonwealth and from any other person who, under contract, so transports cigarettes, and from any bonded warehouseman or bailee who has in his possession any cigarettes, such reports to contain such information concerning shipments of cigarettes as the commissioner shall determine. All such carriers, bailees, warehousemen and other persons shall permit the examination by the commissioner or the commissioner's duly authorized agent of any records relating to the shipment of cigarettes into or from, or the receipt thereof within, the commonwealth.Notwithstanding this section, the excise imposed by this section shall equal 160 per cent of the price paid by such licensee or unclassified acquirer to purchase smokeless tobacco so sold, imported or acquired.Notwithstanding section 28, a portion of cigarette excise revenues paid under this section shall be credited to the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund, established in section 2OOO of chapter 29. The amount credited to the fund in fiscal year 2009 shall be the sum of: (1) all revenues received in fiscal year 2009 attributable to the inventory tax under chapter 168 of the acts of 2008; and (2) the monthly excess, if any, on cigarette excise payments received in August 2008 to June 2009 over the cigarette excise payments received in the same months in the previous fiscal year, less the amount that the commissioner may reasonably determine equals increased revenues in 2009 due to cigarette stamp encryption and due to taxation of little cigars as cigarettes. The amount credited to the Fund in fiscal year 2010 shall be the monthly excess in cigarette excise payments received in fiscal year 2010 over cigarette excise payments received in the same months in fiscal year 2008, less the amounts that the commissioner may reasonably determine are increased revenues in 2009 due to cigarette stamp encryption and due to taxation of little cigars as cigarettes. The amount credited to the fund in fiscal year 2011 and thereafter shall be the monthly cigarette revenue received in each such year multiplied by the percentage of cigarette excise collections in 2010 that were credited to the fund.