(1) "Agreement" means an agreement for a tourism attraction project between the Department of Community Affairs and an approved company pursuant to Code Section 48-8-275.

(2) "Annual sales and use tax" means those state and local sales and use taxes generated by sales to the general public at the approved tourism attraction during the calendar year immediately preceding the date of filing the sales and use tax refund claim.

(3) "Approved company" means the entity that has submitted an application to undertake a tourism attraction project, which has been approved pursuant to Code Section 48-8-274. For each tourism attraction project, only one company may be approved under this article.

(4) "Approved costs" means:

(A) For new tourism attractions:

(i) Obligations incurred for labor and to vendors, contractors, subcontractors, builders, suppliers, deliverymen, and materialmen in connection with the acquisition, construction, equipping, and installation of a new tourism attraction project;

(ii) The costs of acquiring real property or rights in real property and any costs incidental thereto;

(iii) All costs for construction materials and equipment installed at the new tourism attraction project;

(iv) The cost of contract bonds and of insurance of all kinds that may be required or necessary during the course of the acquisition, construction, equipping, and installation of a new tourism attraction project which is not paid by the vendor, supplier, deliveryman, or contractor or otherwise provided;

(v) All costs of architectural and engineering services, including, but not limited to, estimates, plans and specifications, preliminary investigations, and supervision of construction and installation, as well as for the performance of all the duties required by or consequent to the acquisition, construction, equipping, and installation of a new tourism attraction project;

(vi) All costs required to be paid under the terms of any contract for the acquisition, construction, equipping, and installation of a new tourism attraction project;

(vii) All costs required for the installation of utilities, including, but not limited to, water, sewer, sewage treatment, gas, electricity, communications, and similar facilities; and off-site construction of utility extensions if paid for by the approved company; and

(viii) All other costs comparable with those described in this subparagraph; or

(B) For existing tourism attractions, any approved costs otherwise specified in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph; provided, however, that such costs are limited to the expansion only of an existing tourism attraction and not the renovation of an existing tourism attraction.

(5) "Approved tourism attraction" means a project that was approved pursuant to Code Section 48-8-274 and that has since opened to the public and become operational as a tourism attraction.

(6) "Expansion" means the addition of equipment, facilities, or real estate to an existing tourism attraction for the purpose of increasing its size, scope, or visitor capacity.

(7) "Incremental sales and use tax" means state and local sales and use taxes generated by sales to the general public at the approved tourism attraction from the date on which construction of the expansion project is completed through the end of the calendar year immediately preceding the date of filing the incremental sales and use tax refund claim, less the state and local sales and use taxes that were generated by sales to the general public at the approved tourism attraction during the 12 month period immediately preceding the commencement of construction of the expansion project.

(8) "Incremental sales and use tax refund" means the amount equal to the lesser of the incremental sales and use tax or 2.5 percent of the total of all approved costs incurred at any time prior to January 1 of the year during which the claim for the incremental sales and use tax refund is filed.

(9) "Local sales and use tax" means any sales and use tax, excluding the sales tax for educational purposes levied pursuant to Part 2 of Article 3 of this chapter and Article VIII, Section VI, Paragraph IV of the Constitution, that is levied and imposed in an area consisting of less than the entire state, however authorized.

(10) "Renovation" means the restoration, rebuilding, redesign, repair, or replacement of worn elements so that the functionality, quality, or attractiveness of buildings or structures is equivalent to a former state.

(11) "Sales and use tax refund" means the amount equal to the lesser of the annual sales and use tax or 2.5 percent of the total of all approved costs incurred at any time prior to January 1 of the year during which the claim for the sales and use tax refund is filed.

(12) "Tourism attraction" means a cultural or historical site; a recreation or entertainment facility; a convention hotel and conference center; an automobile race track, including, but not limited to, Atlanta Motor Speedway, with other tourism amenities; a golf course facility with other tourism amenities; marinas and water parks with lodging and restaurant facilities designed to attract tourists to the State of Georgia; or a Georgia crafts and products center. A tourism attraction shall not be primarily devoted to the retail sale of goods, shopping centers, restaurants, or movie theaters.

(13) "Tourism attraction project" or "project" includes the real estate acquisition, including the acquisition of real estate by a leasehold interest with a minimum term of 30 years, construction, and equipping of a tourism attraction; the construction and installation of improvements to facilities necessary or desirable for the acquisition, construction, and installation of a tourism attraction, including, but not limited to, surveys; installation of utilities, which may include water, sewer, sewage treatment, gas, electricity, communications, and similar facilities; and off-site construction of utility extensions if paid for by the approved company. Such term shall not include the renovation of an existing tourism attraction.