10-10.  Tax imposed.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section with respect to little cigars, on the first day of the third month after the month in which this Act becomes law, a tax is imposed on any person engaged in business as a distributor of tobacco products, as defined in Section 10-5, at the rate of (i) 18% of the wholesale price of tobacco products sold or otherwise disposed of to retailers or consumers located in this State prior to July 1, 2012 and (ii) 36% of the wholesale price of tobacco products sold or otherwise disposed of to retailers or consumers located in this State beginning on July 1, 2012;  except that, beginning on January 1, 2013, the tax on moist snuff shall be imposed at a rate of $0.30 per ounce, and a proportionate tax at the like rate on all fractional parts of an ounce, sold or otherwise disposed of to retailers or consumers located in this State.  The tax is in addition to all other occupation or privilege taxes imposed by the State of Illinois, by any political subdivision thereof, or by any municipal corporation.  However, the tax is not imposed upon any activity in that business in interstate commerce or otherwise, to the extent to which that activity may not, under the Constitution and Statutes of the United States, be made the subject of taxation by this State, and except that, beginning July 1, 2013, the tax on little cigars shall be imposed at the same rate, and the proceeds shall be distributed in the same manner, as the tax imposed on cigarettes under the Cigarette Tax Act.  The tax is also not imposed on sales made to the United States or any entity thereof.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this Section, stamping distributors of packages of little cigars containing 20 or 25 little cigars sold or otherwise disposed of in this State shall remit the tax by purchasing tax stamps from the Department and affixing them to packages of little cigars in the same manner as stamps are purchased and affixed to cigarettes under the Cigarette Tax Act, unless the stamping distributor sells or otherwise disposes of those packages of little cigars to another stamping distributor.  Only persons meeting the definition of “stamping distributor” contained in Section 10-5 of this Act may affix stamps to packages of little cigars containing 20 or 25 little cigars.  Stamping distributors may not sell or dispose of little cigars at retail to consumers or users at locations where stamping distributors affix stamps to packages of little cigars containing 20 or 25 little cigars.
(c) The impact of the tax levied by this Act is imposed upon distributors engaged in the business of selling tobacco products to retailers or consumers in this State.  Whenever a stamping distributor brings or causes to be brought into this State from without this State, or purchases from without or within this State, any packages of little cigars containing 20 or 25 little cigars upon which there are no tax stamps affixed as required by this Act, for purposes of resale or disposal in this State to a person not a stamping distributor, then such stamping distributor shall pay the tax to the Department and add the amount of the tax to the price of such packages sold by such stamping distributor.  Payment of the tax shall be evidenced by a stamp or stamps affixed to each package of little cigars containing 20 or 25 little cigars.
Stamping distributors paying the tax to the Department on packages of little cigars containing 20 or 25 little cigars sold to other distributors, wholesalers or retailers shall add the amount of the tax to the price of the packages of little cigars containing 20 or 25 little cigars sold by such stamping distributors.
(d) Beginning on January 1, 2013, the tax rate imposed per ounce of moist snuff may not exceed 15% of the tax imposed upon a package of 20 cigarettes pursuant to the Cigarette Tax Act.
(e) All moneys received by the Department under this Act from sales occurring prior to July 1, 2012 shall be paid into the Long-Term Care Provider Fund of the State Treasury.  Of the moneys received by the Department from sales occurring on or after July 1, 2012, except for moneys received from the tax imposed on the sale of little cigars, 50% shall be paid into the Long-Term Care Provider Fund and 50% shall be paid into the Healthcare Provider Relief Fund.  Beginning July 1, 2013, all moneys received by the Department under this Act from the tax imposed on little cigars shall be distributed as provided in subsection (a) of Section 2 of the Cigarette Tax Act.