Section 220.101  Nature of the Home Rule County Retailers' Occupation Tax

a)         Authority to Impose Tax

1)         Pursuant to Section 5-1006 of the Counties Code [55 ILCS 5], any county that is a home rule unit may impose a tax upon all persons engaged in the business of selling tangible personal property, other than an item of tangible personal property titled or registered with an agency of this State's government, at retail in the county on the gross receipts from such sales made in the course of their business.  If imposed, this tax shall only be imposed in ¼% increments. 

2)         This additional tax may not be imposed on tangible personal property taxed at the 1% rate under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act [35 ILCS 120].  [55 ILCS 5/5-1006]  For guidance on the types of tangible personal property taxed at the 1% rate, see 86 Ill. Adm. Code 130.310 and 130.311.

3)         Beginning December 1, 2019, this tax is not imposed on sales of aviation fuel unless the tax revenue is expended for airport-related purposes.  If the county does not have an airport-related purpose to which it dedicates aviation fuel tax revenue, then aviation fuel is excluded from the tax.  The county must comply with the certification requirements for airport-related purposes under Section 2-22 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act [35 ILCS 120].  [55 ILCS 5/5-1006]  "Aviation fuel" means jet fuel and aviation gasoline.  [35 ILCS 120/3]  "Airport-related purposes" has the meaning ascribed in Section 6z-20.2 of the State Finance Act [30 ILCS 105].  This exclusion for aviation fuel only applies for so long as the revenue use requirements of 49 U.S.C. 47107(b) and 49 U.S.C. 47133 are binding on the county.

4)         The tax imposed by a home rule county pursuant to this Section and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof, shall be collected and enforced by the Department of Revenue.  [55 ILCS 5/5-1006] 

b)         Passing on the Tax

The legal incidence of the Home Rule County Retailers' Occupation Tax is on the seller.  Nevertheless, the General Assembly has authorized persons subject to this tax to reimburse themselves for their seller's tax liability by separately stating such tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State tax which sellers are required to collect under the Use Tax Act [35 ILCS 105], pursuant to such bracket schedules as the Department has prescribed.  [55 ILCS 5/5-1006]  (See 86 Ill. Adm. Code 150.Table A).

c)         Exclusion from "Gross Receipts"

Any amount added to the selling price of tangible personal property by the seller because of the Home Rule County Retailers' Occupation Tax, the Retailers' Occupation Tax, the Use Tax Act, or any other local occupation tax administered by the Department, and collected from the purchaser, shall not be regarded as a part of the seller's gross receipts that are subject to the Home Rule County Retailers' Occupation Tax.

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 3201, effective February 26, 2025)