§ 14-109 — City council; powers; occupation and license taxes; motor vehicle fee; conditions; limitations

Nebraska § 14-109

• Jurisdiction: Nebraska
• Ch. 14: Cities of the Metropolitan Class

Text

(1)(a) The city council of a city of the metropolitan class shall have power to tax for revenue, license, and regulate any person within the limits of the city by ordinance except as otherwise provided in this section. Such tax may include both a tax for revenue and license. The city council may raise revenue by levying and collecting a tax on any occupation or business within the limits of the city. After March 27, 2014, any occupation tax imposed pursuant to this section shall make a reasonable classification of businesses, users of space, or kinds of transactions for purposes of imposing such tax, except that no occupation tax shall be imposed on any transaction which is subject to tax under section 53-160 , 66-489 , 66-489.02 , 66-4,140 , 66-4,145 , 66-4,146 , 77-2602 , or 77-4008 or which is exempt from tax under section 77-2704.24 . All such taxes shall be uniform in respect to the class upon which they are imposed. All scientific and literary lectures and entertainments shall be exempt from taxation, as well as concerts and all other musical entertainments given exclusively by the citizens of the city. It shall be the duty of the city clerk to deliver to the city treasurer a copy of the ordinance levying such tax.
(b) For purposes of this subsection, limits of the city does not include the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction of such city.
(2)(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c) of this subsection, the city council shall also have the power to require any individual whose primary residence or person who owns a place of business which is within the limits of the city and that owns and operates a motor vehicle within such limits to annually register such motor vehicle in such manner as may be provided and to require such person to pay an annual motor vehicle fee therefor and to require the payment of such fee upon the change of ownership of such vehicle. All such fees which may be provided for under this subsection shall be credited to a separate fund of the city, thereby created, to be used exclusively for constructing, repairing, maintaining, or improving streets, roads, alleys, public ways, or parts of such streets, roads, alleys, or ways or for the amortization of bonded indebtedness when created for such purposes.
(b) No motor vehicle fee shall be required under this subsection if (i) a vehicle is used or stored but temporarily in such city for a period of six months or less in a twelve-month period, (ii) an individual does not have a primary residence or a person does not own a place of business within the limits of the city and does not own and operate a motor vehicle within the limits of the city, or (iii) an individual is a full-time student attending a postsecondary institution within the limits of the city and the motor vehicle's situs under the Motor Vehicle Certificate of Title Act is different from the place at which he or she is attending such institution.
(c) After December 31, 2012, no motor vehicle fee shall be required of any individual whose primary residence is within the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction of such city or any person who owns a place of business within such jurisdiction.
(d) For purposes of this subsection, limits of the city includes the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction of such city.
(3) For purposes of this section, person includes bodies corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, cooperatives, and associations. Person does not include any federal, state, or local government or any political subdivision thereof.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1921, c. 116, art. I, § 9, p. 408; C.S.1922, § 3496; C.S.1929, § 14-109; R.S.1943, § 14-109; Laws 1997, LB 752, § 73; Laws 2011, LB81, § 1; Laws 2012, LB745, § 2; Laws 2014, LB474, § 1; Laws 2022, LB800, § 18; Laws 2025, LB647, § 17. Operative Date: June 5, 2025 Cross References: Motor Vehicle Certificate of Title Act, see section 60-101. Annotations: An occupation tax is a tax upon the privilege of doing business in a particular jurisdiction or upon the act of exercising, undertaking, or operating a given occupation, trade, or profession. Anthony, Inc. v. City of Omaha, 283 Neb. 868, 813 N.W.2d 467 (2012). Both occupation taxes and sales taxes can be "gross receipts taxes." Anthony, Inc. v. City of Omaha, 283 Neb. 868, 813 N.W.2d 467 (2012). The legal incidence of an occupation tax falls upon the retailer, because it is a tax upon the act or privilege of engaging in business activities. Anthony, Inc. v. City of Omaha, 283 Neb. 868, 813 N.W.2d 467 (2012). There is no statutory limit on the amount of municipal occupation taxes. Anthony, Inc. v. City of Omaha, 283 Neb. 868, 813 N.W.2d 467 (2012). Statute does not deprive State Railway Commission of jurisdiction to control operation of taxicab companies in city of Omaha. In re Yellow Cab and Baggage Co., 126 Neb. 138, 253 N.W. 80 (1934). City may, by ordinance, define "peddlers" and include in such term a "rolling store", and impose a permit fee and occupation tax. Erwin v. City of Omaha, 118 Neb. 331, 224 N.W. 692 (1929). The municipal year may be declared coextensive with the fiscal year. Johnson v. Leidy, 86 Neb. 818, 126 N.W. 514 (1910). License tax cannot be exacted from persons, the regulation of whose compensation is not permitted, and the attempt to tax vehicles rented out by the month is not authorized by this section. McCauley v. State, 83 Neb. 431, 119 N.W. 675 (1909). An ordinance imposing an occupation tax is void if it can only be enforced by illegal methods. City of Omaha v. Harmon, 58 Neb. 339, 78 N.W. 623 (1899).