Laws of NYS > Consolidated Laws > TAX > Article 20 – (470 - 482-A) TAX ON CIGARETTES AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS

  § 470. Definitions. When used in this article the following words shall have the meanings herein indicated:

1. "Cigarette." (a) Any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of tobacco or of any other substance wrapped in paper or in any other substance not containing tobacco, and (b) any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of tobacco wrapped in any substance containing tobacco that, because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette described in paragraph (a) of this subdivision. However, a roll will not be considered to be a cigarette for purposes of paragraph (b) of this subdivision if it is not treated as a cigarette for federal excise tax purposes under the applicable federal statute in effect on April first, two thousand eight.

  2. "Tobacco products." Any cigar or tobacco, other than cigarettes, intended for consumption by smoking, chewing, or as snuff.  2-a. "Roll-your-own tobacco." Any tobacco product that, because of its appearance, type, packaging or labeling, is suitable for use and likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco for making cigarettes.

  3. "Person" includes an individual, copartnership, limited liability company, society, association, corporation, joint stock company, and any combination of individuals and also an  executor,  administrator, receiver, trustee or other fiduciary.

  4. "Sale" means any transfer of title or possession or both, exchange or barter, conditional or otherwise, in any manner or by any means whatever or any agreement therefor.

  5. "Retail sale" or "sale at retail" means a sale to a consumer or to any other person for any purpose other than resale.

  6. "Wholesale price." The established price for which a manufacturer sells tobacco products to a distributor, before the allowance of any discount, trade allowance, rebate or other reduction.  In the absence of such an established price, a manufacturer's invoice price of any tobacco product shall be presumptive evidence of the wholesale price of such tobacco product, and in its absence the price at which such tobacco products were purchased shall be presumed to be the wholesale price, unless evidence of a lower wholesale price shall be established or any industry standard of markups relating to the purchase price in relation to the wholesale price shall be established.

  7. "Dealer." Any wholesale dealer and retail dealer as hereinafter defined.

  8. "Wholesale dealer." Any person who (a) sells cigarettes or tobacco products to retail dealers or other persons for purposes of resale, or (b) owns, operates or maintains one or more cigarette or tobacco product vending machines in, at or upon premises owned or occupied by any other person, or (c) sells cigarettes or tobacco products to an Indian nation or  tribe  or to a reservation cigarette seller on a qualified reservation.

  9. "Retail dealer." Any person other than a wholesale dealer engaged in selling cigarettes or tobacco products.

  10. "Package." The individual package, box or other container in or from which retail sales of cigarettes are normally made or intended to be made.

  11. "Agent." Any person licensed by the commissioner of taxation and finance to purchase and affix adhesive or meter stamps on packages of cigarettes under this article.

  12. "Distributor." Any person who imports or causes to be imported into this state any tobacco product (in excess of fifty cigars or one pound of tobacco) for sale, or who manufactures any tobacco product in this state, and any person within or without the state who is authorized by the commissioner of taxation and finance to make returns and pay the tax on tobacco products sold, shipped or delivered by him to any person in the state.

  13. "Unstamped or unlawfully stamped packages of cigarettes." A package of cigarettes which bears no tax stamp, or which bears a tax stamp of another state or taxing jurisdiction is considered to be an unstamped package of cigarettes. A package of cigarettes bearing a counterfeit New York state or a counterfeit joint state and New York city tax stamp is an unlawfully stamped package of cigarettes.

  14. "Indian nation or tribe." One of the following New York state Indian nations or tribes: Cayuga Indian Nation of New York, Oneida Indian Nation of New York, Onondaga Nation of Indians, Poospatuck or Unkechauge  Nation,  St. Regis Mohawk, Seneca Nation of Indians, Shinnecock Tribe, Tonawanda Band of Senecas and Tuscarora Nation of Indians.

  15. "Qualified Indian." A person duly enrolled on the tribal rolls of one of the Indian nations or tribes. In the case of the Cayuga Indian Nation of New York, such term shall include enrolled members of such nation when such enrolled members purchase cigarettes on any Seneca reservation.

  16. "Qualified reservation." (a) Lands held by an Indian nation or tribe that is located within the reservation of that nation or tribe in the state;  (b) Lands within the state over which an Indian nation or tribe exercises governmental power and that are either (i) held by the Indian nation or tribe subject to restrictions by the United States against alienation, or (ii) held in trust by the United States for the benefit of such Indian nation or tribe;  (c) Lands held by the Shinnecock Tribe or the Poospatuck (Unkechauge) Nation within their respective reservations; or  (d) Any land that falls within paragraph (a) or (b) of this subdivision, and which may be sold and replaced with other land in accordance with an Indian nation's or tribe's land claims settlement agreement with the state of New York, shall nevertheless be deemed to be subject to restriction by the United States against alienation.

  17. "Reservation cigarette seller." A seller of cigarettes which is an Indian nation or tribe, one or more members of such tribe, or an entity wholly owned by either or both, which sells cigarettes within the boundaries of a qualified reservation.

  18. "Snuff." Any finely cut, ground, or powdered tobacco that is not intended to be smoked.

  19. "Cigar." Any roll of tobacco wrapped in leaf tobacco or in any substance containing tobacco (other than any roll of tobacco that is a cigarette as defined in subdivision one of this section). However, a roll will not be considered to be a cigar for purposes of this subdivision if it is not treated as a cigar for federal excise tax purposes under the applicable federal statute in effect on April first, two thousand eight.