(a) The Board may impose a tax upon all persons engaged in the business of renting automobiles in the metropolitan region at the rate of not to exceed 1% of the gross receipts from such business within Cook County and not to exceed 1/4% of the gross receipts from such business within the Counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. The tax imposed pursuant to this paragraph and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The certificate of registration which is issued by the Department to a retailer under the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act or under the Automobile Renting Occupation and Use Tax Act shall permit such person to engage in a business which is taxable under any ordinance or resolution enacted pursuant to this paragraph without registering separately with the Department under such ordinance or resolution or under this paragraph. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this paragraph; to collect all taxes and penalties due hereunder; to dispose of taxes and penalties so collected in the manner hereinafter provided, and to determine all rights to credit memoranda, arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with, this paragraph, the Department and persons who are subject to this paragraph shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties and definitions of terms, and employ the same modes of procedure, as are prescribed in Sections 2 and 3 (in respect to all provisions therein other than the State rate of tax; and with relation to the provisions of the Retailers’ Occupation Tax referred to therein, except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected, and except for the provision allowing retailers a deduction from the tax cover certain costs, and except that credit memoranda issued hereunder may not be used to discharge any State tax liability) of the Automobile Renting Occupation and Use Tax Act as fully as if provisions contained in those Sections of said Act were set forth herein. Persons subject to any tax imposed pursuant to the authority granted in this paragraph may reimburse themselves for their tax liability hereunder by separately stating such tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State tax which sellers are required to collect under the Automobile Renting Occupation and Use Tax Act pursuant to such bracket schedules as the Department may prescribe. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the Authority to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business which under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by this State.
     (b) The Board may impose a tax upon the privilege of using, in the metropolitan region an automobile which is rented from a renter outside Illinois, and which is titled or registered with an agency of this State’s government, at a rate not to exceed 1% of the rental price of such automobile within the County of Cook, and not to exceed 1/4% of the rental price within the counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. Such tax shall be collected from persons whose Illinois address for titling or registration purposes is given as being in the metropolitan region. Such tax shall be collected by the Department of Revenue for the Regional Transportation Authority. Such tax must be paid to the State, or an exemption determination must be obtained from the Department of Revenue, before the title or certificate of registration for the property may be issued. The tax or proof of exemption may be transmitted to the Department by way of the State agency with which, or State officer with whom, the tangible personal property must be titled or registered if the Department and such agency or State officer determine that this procedure will expedite the processing of applications for title or registration. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this paragraph; to collect all taxes, penalties and interest due hereunder; to dispose of taxes, penalties and interest so collected in the manner hereinafter provided, and to determine all rights to credit memoranda or refunds arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax, penalty or interest hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with, this paragraph, the Department and persons who are subject to this paragraph shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties and definitions of terms, and employ the same modes of procedure, as are prescribed in Sections 2 and 4 (except provisions pertaining to the State rate of tax; and with relation to the provisions of the Use Tax Act referred to therein, except provisions concerning collection or refunding of the tax by retailers, and except the provisions of Section 19 pertaining to claims by retailers and except the last paragraph concerning refunds, and except that credit memoranda issued hereunder may not be used to discharge any State tax liability) of the Automobile Renting Occupation and Use Tax Act which are not inconsistent with this paragraph, as fully as if provisions contained in those Sections of said Act were set forth herein.
     (c) Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this Section to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the order to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in such notification from the Department. Such refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the Regional Transportation Authority tax fund created pursuant to Section 4.03 of this Act.
     (d) The Department shall forthwith pay over to the State Treasurer, ex-officio, as trustee, all taxes, penalties and interest collected under this Section. On or before the 25th day of each calendar month, the Department shall prepare and certify to the State Comptroller the amount to be paid to the Authority. The State Department of Revenue shall also certify to the Authority the amount of taxes collected in each County other than Cook County in the metropolitan region less the amount necessary for the payment of refunds to taxpayers in such County. With regard to the County of Cook, the certification shall specify the amount of taxes collected within the City of Chicago less the amount necessary for the payment of refunds to taxpayers in the City of Chicago and the amount collected in that portion of Cook County outside of Chicago less the amount necessary for the payment of refunds to taxpayers in that portion of Cook County outside of Chicago. The amount to be paid to the Authority shall be the amount (not including credit memoranda) collected hereunder during the second preceding calendar month by the Department, and not including an amount equal to the amount of refunds made during the second preceding calendar month by the Department on behalf of the Authority. Within 10 days after receipt, by the State Comptroller, of the disbursement certification to the Authority, the State Comptroller shall cause the orders to be drawn in accordance with the directions contained in such certification.
     (e) An ordinance imposing a tax hereunder or effecting a change in the rate thereof shall be effective on the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which such ordinance is passed. The Board shall transmit to the Department of Revenue on or not later than 5 days after passage of the ordinance a certified copy of the ordinance imposing such tax whereupon the Department of Revenue shall proceed to administer and enforce this Section on behalf of the Authority as of the effective date of the ordinance. Upon a change in rate of a tax levied hereunder, or upon the discontinuance of the tax, the Board shall, on or not later than 5 days after passage of the ordinance discontinuing the tax or effecting a change in rate, transmit to the Department of Revenue a certified copy of the ordinance effecting such change or discontinuance.