Sec. 4. (a) In counties to which this chapter applies, there shall be levied each year a tax on every person engaged in the business of renting or furnishing, for periods of less than thirty (30) days, any room or rooms or lodgings or accommodations in any commercial hotel, motel, inn, tourist camp, or tourist cabin. However, this tax does not apply to the renting or furnishing of rooms, lodgings, or accommodations to a person for a period of thirty (30) days or more.

(b) The tax shall be at the rate of four percent (4%) on the gross retail income derived from lodging income only and shall be in addition to the state gross retail tax imposed on such persons by IC 6-2.5. The tax rate may be increased to not more than six percent (6%) by the adoption of substantially similar ordinances by the county fiscal body of each of the counties to which this chapter applies.

(c) The county fiscal body may adopt an ordinance to require that the tax shall be paid monthly to the county treasurer. If such an ordinance is adopted, the tax shall be paid to the county treasurer not more than twenty (20) days after the end of the month the tax is collected. If such an ordinance is not adopted, the tax shall be imposed, paid, and collected in exactly the same manner as the state gross retail tax is imposed, paid, and collected pursuant to IC 6-2.5.

(d) All of the provisions of IC 6-2.5 relating to rights, duties, liabilities, procedures, penalties, definitions, exemptions, and administration shall be applicable to the imposition and administration of the tax imposed by this section except to the extent such provisions are in conflict or inconsistent with the specific provisions of this chapter or the requirements of the county treasurer. Specifically, and not in limitation of the foregoing sentence, the terms "person" and "gross retail income" shall have the same meaning in this section as they have in IC 6-2.5.

(e) If the tax is paid to the department of state revenue, the returns to be filed for the payment of the tax under this section may be either a separate return or may be combined with the return filed for the payment of the state gross retail tax as the department of state revenue may by rule determine.

(f) If the tax is paid to the department of state revenue, the amounts received from such tax shall be paid monthly by the treasurer of state to the county treasurer upon warrants issued by the auditor of state.

As added by Acts 1976, P.L.23, SEC.1. Amended by Acts 1977, P.L.92, SEC.2; Acts 1979, P.L.82, SEC.3; P.L.55-1984, SEC.2; P.L.108-1987, SEC.4; P.L.84-1993, SEC.1; P.L.67-1997, SEC.4; P.L.175-2018, SEC.4; P.L.290-2019, SEC.5.