§342G-102  Deposit beverage containerfee.  (a)  Beginning on October 1, 2002, every deposit beverage distributorshall pay to the department a deposit beverage container fee on eachpolyethylene terephthalate, high density polyethylene, or metal deposit beveragecontainer manufactured in or imported into the State.  The fee shall be imposedonly once on the same deposit beverage container.  The fee shall be 0.5 centsper deposit beverage container.

(b)  Beginning on October 1, 2004, everydeposit beverage distributor shall pay to the department a deposit beveragecontainer fee on each deposit beverage container manufactured in or importedinto the State.  The deposit beverage container fee shall not apply to depositbeverage containers exported for sale outside of the State.  The fee shall beimposed only once on the same deposit beverage container.  The fee shall be 1cent per deposit beverage container.

(c)  No county shall impose or collect anyassessment or fee on deposit beverage containers for the same or similarpurpose that is the subject of this chapter.

(d)  Beginning January 1, 2005, and everyAugust 1 thereafter, the department shall notify deposit beverage distributorsin writing of the amount of the deposit beverage container fee.  The effectivedate of changes to the fee amount shall be September 1.  The fee shall be basedon the redemption rate calculated annually based on the redemption rateinformation submitted to the department for the previous period of July 1through June 30.  The fee amount shall be as follows:

(1)  If the redemption rate is seventy per cent orless:  1 cent per container; and

(2)  If the redemption rate is greater than seventyper cent:  1.5 cents per container.

(e)  The director may temporarily suspend anautomatic increase of the deposit beverage container fee if, after consultationwith the auditor, it is determined that the deposit beverage container depositspecial fund contains sufficient funds for the purposes of section 342G-104(b).[L 2002, c 176, pt of §2; am L 2004, c 241, §3; am L 2007, c 285, §3]