Use tax; motor vehicles

Sec. 5. (a) For purposes of the state gross retail tax and use tax, transactions representing isolated or occasional sales of vehicles required

to be licensed by the state for highway use in Indiana shall constitute retail transactions under the provisions of this section. Every sale by a resident

or nonresident person who is not a retail merchant as defined in this act of a vehicle required to be licensed by the state for highway use in Indiana

shall be deemed a retail transaction and the use of such vehicle shall be subject to the use tax which shall be paid by the purchaser to the Bureau

of Motor Vehicles at the time of the licensing of the vehicle by the purchaser.

(b) The sale of any vehicle required to be licensed by the state for highway use in Indiana shall constitute selling at retail and shall be

subject to the sales or use tax unless such purchaser is entitled to one or more of the exemptions as provided on form ST-108.

(c) If the vehicle is purchased from a registered Indiana motor vehicle dealer, the dealer must collect the tax and provide the purchaser

a completed form ST-108 showing that the tax has been paid to him; or if the purchaser claims exemption and no tax is collected by the dealer, the

certificate at the bottom of form ST-108 must be completed and signed by the purchaser. Title applications on sales by registered dealers without

a form ST-108, completed by the dealer, will not be accepted. The ST-108 must be attached to the revenue copy of the title application (TA) by the

license branch. Whenever a purchaser claims exemption on the reverse side of form ST-108, the dealer must retain a completed exemption

certificate.

(d) On any vehicle which is not purchased from a registered Indiana dealer, the license branch must collect the use tax at the time of

registration unless the purchaser is entitled to claim exemption from the tax for one of the reasons shown on the reverse side of the form ST-108.

When the tax is collected by the license branch, a person will be required to have an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury by the seller that

contains the actual selling price of the vehicle. However, in absence of an affidavit the buyer will be charged on the average selling price for that

vehicle, as determined under a used vehicle guide. The affidavit would be attached to the title instead of an ST-108 in the situation above; however,

in the absence of the affidavit the amount of the selling price, trade-in, and the amount subject to the use tax must be noted on the title application

(TA) by the license branch.

(e) If the purchaser claims exemption on a vehicle not purchased from a registered dealer, the ST-108 must be completed by the customer

or the license branch and attached to the revenue copy of the title application (TA) by the license branch. The ST-108 must show the specific

paragraph under which the exemption is claimed, and be signed at the bottom of the form by the purchaser.

(f) Exemptions from the sales tax will not be allowed except for the reasons listed on the reverse side of the revised form ST-108.

(g) The dealer or license branch must collect sales tax in the usual manner from any purchaser claiming exemption from the sales tax for

a reason other than those shown on the ST-108. The purchaser may apply for a refund of this tax from the Indiana Department of Revenue, Sales

Tax Division.

(h) The deduction for trade-in allowance applies only to vehicles traded-in and does not apply to other property, either personal or real,

which is traded on a vehicle.

(i) The assumption by the purchaser of an installment contract or other obligation on a vehicle is subject to the tax on the amount of the

obligation plus any other consideration given.