(a) Method.  The tax imposed by this Article must be paid to the Commissioner when applying for a certificate of title for a motor vehicle.  The Commissioner may not issue a certificate of title for a vehicle until the tax imposed by this Article has been paid.  The tax may be paid in cash or by check.

(b) Sale by Retailer.  When a certificate of title for a motor vehicle is issued because of a sale of the motor vehicle by a retailer, the applicant for the certificate of title must attach a copy of the bill of sale for the motor vehicle to the application.  A retailer who sells a motor vehicle may collect from the purchaser of the vehicle the tax payable upon the issuance of a certificate of title for the vehicle, apply for a certificate of title on behalf of the purchaser, and remit the tax due on behalf of the purchaser. If a check submitted by a retailer in payment of taxes collected under this section is not honored by the financial institution upon which it is drawn because the retailer’s account did not have sufficient funds to pay the check or the retailer did not have an account at the institution, the Division may suspend or revoke the license issued to the retailer under Article 12 of Chapter 20 of the N.C. Gen. Stat.. (1989, c. 692, s. 4.1; 1991, c. 193, s. 1.)