(a) In addition to any other taxes provided by law, subject to the exemptions set forth in section 243-7, there is hereby imposed a state environmental response, energy, and food security tax on each barrel or fractional part of a barrel of petroleum product sold by a distributor to any retail dealer or end user of petroleum product, other than a refiner. The tax shall be $1.05 on each barrel or fractional part of a barrel of petroleum product that is not aviation fuel; provided that of the tax collected pursuant to this subsection:

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-3.5

  • Aviation fuel: means all liquid substances of whatever chemical composition usable for the propulsion of airplanes. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1
  • Barrel: means forty-two United States gallons of crude oil or petroleum product. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1
  • calendar month: means each full month of the calendar year; provided that whenever the books of any distributor in any county are kept on such a basis that its monthly records are made up on a basis other than a calendar month so that each business month of the distributor ends on some other day than the last day of the calendar month, and the distributor presents a sworn application to the department of taxation setting forth such facts and requesting that it be granted the privilege of making returns and paying the taxes and performing other duties required of it under this chapter upon the basis of such business month rather than a calendar month, the department shall in writing grant such privilege and thereupon, as to such distributor, the terms "month" or "calendar month" shall be deemed to mean and refer to such business month, and all returns and payments under this chapter shall be made upon the basis of such business month and all delinquencies and penalties shall attach and be calculated as of the last day of such business month. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1
  • Distributor: means :

    (1) Every person who refines, manufactures, produces, or compounds liquid fuel or fossil fuel in the State and sells or uses the same therein;

    (2) Every person who imports or causes to be imported into the State any liquid fuel or fossil fuel and sells it therein, whether in the original packages or containers in which it is imported or otherwise than in the original packages or containers, or who imports any liquid fuel or fossil fuel for the person's own use in the State;

    (3) Every person who acquires liquid fuel or fossil fuel from a person not a licensed distributor and sells or uses it, whether in the original package or container in which it was imported (if imported) or otherwise than in the original package or container; and

    (4) Every person who acquires liquid fuel or fossil fuel from a licensed distributor as a wholesaler thereof and sells or uses it. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1

  • End user: means any person or government entity who acquires petroleum products for their own use and not for resale. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1
  • fuel: means all liquids ordinarily, practically, and commercially usable in internal combustion engines for the generation of power and includes liquefied petroleum gases, all distillates of and condensates from petroleum, natural gas, coal, coal tar, and vegetable ferments, such distillates and condensates being ordinarily designated as a gasoline, naphtha, benzol, benzine, and alcohols so usable but not restricted to such designation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1
  • month: means a calendar month; and the word "year" a calendar year. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-20
  • Petroleum product: means any liquid hydrocarbon at standard temperature and pressure that is the product of the fractionalization, distillation, or other refining or processing of crude oil. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1
  • Retail dealer: means a person who purchases liquid fuel from a licensed distributor and sells the liquid fuel at retail. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-1
(1) 5 cents of the tax on each barrel shall be deposited into the environmental response revolving fund established under section 128D-2;
(2) 4 cents of the tax on each barrel shall be deposited into the energy security special fund established under section 201-12.8;
(3) 5 cents of the tax on each barrel shall be deposited into the energy systems development special fund established under section 304A-2169.1;
(4) 3 cents of the tax on each barrel shall be deposited into the electric vehicle charging system subaccount established pursuant to section 269-33(e); and
(5) 3 cents of the tax on each barrel shall be deposited into the hydrogen fueling system subaccount established pursuant to section 269-33(f).

The tax imposed by this subsection shall be paid by the distributor of the petroleum product.

(b) In addition to subsection (a), the tax shall also be imposed on each one million British thermal units of fossil fuel sold by a distributor to any retail dealer or end user, other than a refiner, of fossil fuel. The tax shall be 19 cents on each one million British thermal units of fossil fuel; provided that of the tax collected pursuant to this subsection:

(1) 4.8 per cent of the tax on each one million British thermal units shall be deposited into the environmental response revolving fund established under section 128D-2;
(2) 14.3 per cent of the tax on each one million British thermal units shall be deposited into the energy security special fund established under section 201-12.8; and
(3) 9.5 per cent of the tax on each one million British thermal units shall be deposited into the energy systems development special fund established under section 304A-2169.1

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The tax imposed by this subsection shall be paid by the distributor of the fossil fuel.

(c) The tax imposed under subsection (b) shall not apply to coal used to fulfill a signed power purchase agreement between an independent power producer and an electric utility that is in effect as of June 30, 2015. An independent power producer shall be permitted to pass the tax imposed under subsection (b) on to an electric utility. In which case, the electric utility may recover the cost of the tax through an appropriate surcharge to the end user that is approved by the public utilities commission.
(d) A gas utility shall be allowed to recover the cost of the tax imposed under subsection (b) as part of its fuel cost in its fuel adjustment charge without further approval by the public utilities commission.
(e) Each distributor subject to the tax imposed by subsection (a) or (b), on or before the last day of each calendar month, shall file , in the form and manner prescribed by the department, a return statement of the tax under this section for which the distributor is liable for the preceding month. The form and payment of the tax shall be transmitted to the department in the form and manner prescribed by the department.
(f) Notwithstanding § 248-8 to the contrary, the environmental response, energy, and food security tax collected under this section shall be paid over to the director of finance for deposit as provided in subsection (a) or (b), as the case may be.
(g) Every distributor shall keep in the State and preserve for five years a record in a form as the department of taxation shall prescribe showing the total number of barrels , and the fractional part of barrels , of petroleum product or the total number of one million British thermal units of fossil fuel, as the case may be, sold by the distributor during any calendar month. The record shall show any other data and figures relevant to the enforcement and administration of this chapter as the department may require.
(h) For the purposes of this section:

“Barrel” may be converted to million British thermal units, using the United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration annual energy review or annual energy outlook.

“Fossil fuel” means a hydrocarbon deposit, such as coal, natural gas, or liquefied natural gas, derived from the accumulated remains of ancient plants or animals and used for fuel; provided that the term specifically does not include petroleum product.