(a) (1) On and after April 1, 2017, until March 31, 2022, a California battery fee of one dollar ($1) shall be imposed on a person for each replacement lead-acid battery of a type listed in paragraph (1), (2), or (4) of subdivision (e) of Section 25215.1 purchased from a dealer. On and after April 1, 2022, the amount of the fee shall be two dollars ($2).
(2) Except for sales to businesses, the dealer shall charge a person the amount of the California battery fee as a charge that is separate from, and not included in, any other fee, charge, or other amount paid by the person.
(3) The dealer shall collect the California battery fee at the time of sale and may retain 11/2 percent of the fee as reimbursement for any costs associated with the collection of the fee. The remainder of the California battery fee collected by the dealer shall be paid to the board in a manner and form prescribed by the board and at the time the return is required to be filed, as specified in Section 25215.47.
(4) All moneys collected by a dealer pursuant to this section that are not properly remitted to the board pursuant to paragraph (3) shall be deemed to be a debt owed to the state by the dealer.
(5) A person who purchases a replacement lead-acid battery in this state is liable for the California battery fee until that fee has been paid to the board, except that payment to a dealer registered under this article is sufficient to relieve the person from further liability of the fee.
(6) All moneys remitted to the board pursuant to this subdivision shall be expended in accordance with Section 25215.5.
(b) (1) Except for sales to businesses, the California battery fee imposed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be separately stated by the dealer on the invoice given to a person at the time of sale. Any other fee charged by the dealer related to the lead-acid battery purchase, including any deposit charged, credited, or both, pursuant to Section 25215.2, shall be identified separately from the California battery fee.
(2) If a person purchases more than one lead-acid battery in a single transaction, and is therefore imposed more than one California lead-acid battery fee in that transaction, the dealer shall not be required to individually list on the invoice each California lead-acid battery fee imposed, but may instead condense the fees to a single-line item.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 666, Sec. 1. (AB 2153) Effective September 26, 2016. Section operative January 1, 2017, pursuant to Section 25215.75.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018