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HB 1968

Pardon and Parole Board; authorizing the Pardon and Parole Board to employ alternate members; establishing compensation; effective date.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by David Bullard and 1 co-sponsor

Requires dealers to collect Arkansas motor vehicle sales tax at point of sale for new/used vehicles and clarifies private-seller and rebate rules.

Second Reading referred to Judiciary Committee then to Appropriations Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 1968

Summary — HB 1968 (as engrossed 4/8/2025)

Note on source material: the provided file contains multiple, partly conflicting items (an Arkansas bill text changing motor-vehicle sales-tax collection, an Illinois appropriation entry, and mixed legislative-action entries). This summary focuses on the substantive Arkansas bill text included (95th Arkansas General Assembly, Engrossed H4/8/25) because that text contains the detailed legislative changes. Per the top-level Bill Information you supplied, the bill’s recorded status is “Died In Committee.”

Main purpose / intent

Require that sales and use tax on the sale of new and used motor vehicles, trailers, and semitrailers be collected at the point of sale by dealers, and to align related state and local rebate/credit procedures with that change. The bill amends statutes affirmed by Referred Act 19 of 1958 and several Arkansas Code sections governing motor-vehicle sales tax collection and rebate handling.

Key provisions and changes

  • Require dealer collection at point of sale:

    • Amends Ark. Code § 26-52-510(a)(1)(B) to state that when a dealer sells a new or used motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer required to be licensed in Arkansas, the dealer must collect the state sales tax at the time of sale.
    • Sales by private sellers (consumers) continue to require payment to the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) at or before registration (§ 26-52-510(a)(1)(A) remains payment-at-registration for non-dealer sales).

  • Clarify registration/payment timing:

    • The secretary (DFA) must require payment of taxes due on non-dealer purchases at the time of registration before issuing vehicle licenses (§ 26-52-510(a)(2)).

  • Trade‑in / private sale offset rules:

    • When a consumer sells a used vehicle privately (not as a trade‑in) and within 60 days purchases a higher‑value vehicle, tax is assessed on the net difference (purchase price minus proceeds of the earlier sale) (§ 26-52-510(b)(1)(C)(i)(a)).
    • If the subsequent purchase is from a dealer, the consumer must initially pay tax on the full purchase price at the dealer; the consumer may later claim the net-difference deduction via a rebate process when registering the vehicle. Claimants must provide a bill of sale signed by all parties and file a rebate claim at registration; without such documentation the full-tax amount stands (§ 26-52-510(b)(1)(C)(ii)–(iii)).

  • Treatment of vehicles moved from original franchise dealer to non-franchise entity:

    • Clarifies that such vehicles are considered used and tax is due at the time of sale/registration (amendment to § 26-52-510(f)(1)(B)(ii)).

  • Local/county rebate and credit adjustments:

    • Amendments to Ark. Code §§ 14-164-333, 26-52-523, 26-74-213, and 26-74-408 align local rebate/credit mechanics depending on whether DFA collects tax directly at registration or dealers collect tax at the point of sale; where dealers collect, purchasers must use rebate claim procedures.

  • Other:

    • Amendment H1 adds Senator M. Johnson as a cosponsor.

Who is affected

  • Vehicle buyers: dealers’ customers will have tax collected immediately at purchase; private-party buyers still remit tax at registration unless buying from a dealer.
  • Dealers: new obligation (or explicit clarification) to collect state sales/gross-receipts tax at point of sale and to provide or accept documentation for later rebate claims.
  • Department of Finance & Administration and local revenue offices: administrative adjustments to intake and rebate-processing procedures; may see timing/cash‑flow changes.
  • Local governments and authorities that rely on local sales/use taxes or rebates for capital-improvement bond debt service: rebate/credit handling is adjusted depending on collection point.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced: January 22, 2025 (per provided metadata).
  • Engrossed version dated April 8, 2025; Amendment H1 adopted to add a cosponsor.
  • The Bill Information you provided lists the status as “Died In Committee.” (The source material also contains mixed legislative-action entries spanning different jurisdictions; if you need a definitive procedural history, please confirm the legislative body—Arkansas or another state—and I will reconcile official records.)

Potential impacts (practical)

  • Accelerates tax collection timing for dealer sales (improves immediate revenue capture).
  • Creates an administrative pathway (rebate claim at registration) for buyers who sold a private vehicle within 60 days and later bought from a dealer, but requires strict documentation (signed bill of sale).
  • May increase dealer administrative burden and DFA workload for rebate processing; fiscal effect on net collections is timing/administration-oriented rather than changing tax rates.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a clean side‑by‑side of the statutory text changes (old vs. new language).
- Verify procedural history in the Arkansas legislative database and reconcile the mixed entries.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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