§ 144.285 RSMo — Tax brackets to be established by director of revenue — how applied — taxpayer owing more than one political subdivision, distribution, penalties

1. In order to permit sellers required to collect and report the sales tax to collect the amount required to be reported and remitted, but not to change the requirements of reporting or remitting tax or to serve as a levy of the tax, and in order to avoid fractions of pennies, the director of revenue shall establish brackets, showing the amounts of tax to be collected on sales of specified amounts, which shall be applicable to all taxable transactions.

2. In all instances where statements covering taxable purchases are rendered to the taxpayer on a monthly or other periodic basis, the amount of tax shall be determined by applying the applicable tax rate to the taxable purchases represented on the statement, rounded to the nearest whole cent, or by application of the brackets established by the director of revenue, at the option of the retail vendor.

3. No vendor or seller shall knowingly charge or receive from a purchaser as a sales tax any sum in excess of the sums provided for in this section.

4. A vendor may, at his option, determine the amount charged to and received from each purchaser by use of a formula which applies the applicable tax rate to each taxable purchase, rounded to the nearest whole cent. The formula shall be uniformly and consistently applied to all purchases similarly situated.

5. Amounts which a vendor charges to and receives from the purchaser in accordance with this section shall not be includable in his gross receipts if the amounts are separately charged or stated.

6. If sales tax for one or more local political subdivisions is owed by a taxpayer pursuant to chapter 66 , 67 , 92 , or 94 and that taxpayer remits less than all sales tax due for a filing period specified in section 144.080 , the director of revenue shall deposit the tax remitted proportionately to each taxing jurisdiction in accordance with the percentage that each such jurisdiction's share of the tax due for the filing period bears to the total tax due from such taxpayer for such period. The unpaid balance due along with penalties and interest shall be similarly prorated among the state and all local jurisdictions for which tax was due during the filing period for which an underpayment occurs. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to all returns or remittances relating to sales made on or after January 1, 1984.