(35 ILCS 155/2) (from Ch. 120, par. 1702)

Sec. 2. Definitions.

"Renting" means any transfer of the possession or right to possession of an automobile to a user for a valuable consideration for a period of one year or less.

"Renting" does not include making a charge for the use of an automobile where the rentor, either himself or through an agent, furnishes a service of operating an automobile so that the rentor remains in possession of the automobile, because this does not constitute a transfer of possession or right to possession of the automobile.

"Renting" does not include the making of a charge by an automobile dealer for the use of an automobile as a demonstrator in connection with the dealer's business of selling, where the charge is merely made to recover the costs of operating the automobile as a demonstrator and is not intended as a rental or leasing charge in the ordinary sense.

"Renting" does not include peer-to-peer car sharing, as defined in Section 5 of the Car-Sharing Program Act, if tax due on the automobile under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act or Use Tax Act was paid upon the purchase of the automobile or when the automobile was brought into Illinois. The car-sharing program shall ask a shared vehicle owner if the shared vehicle owner paid applicable taxes at the time of purchase. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the car-sharing program shall have the right to rely on the shared vehicle owner's response and to be held legally harmless for such reliance.

"Automobile" means (1) any motor vehicle of the first division, or (2) a motor vehicle of the second division which: (A) is a self-contained motor vehicle designed or permanently converted to provide living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use, with direct walk through access to the living quarters from the driver's seat; (B) is of the van configuration designed for the transportation of not less than 7 nor more than 16 passengers, as defined in Section 1-146 of the Illinois Vehicle Code; or (C) has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, as defined in Section 1-124.5 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, of 8,000 pounds or less.

"Department" means the Department of Revenue.

"Person" means any natural individual, firm, partnership, association, joint stock company, joint adventure, public or private corporation, limited liability company, or a receiver, executor, trustee, conservator or other representative appointed by order of any court.

"Rentor" means any person, firm, corporation or association engaged in the business of renting or leasing automobiles to users. For this purpose, the objective of making a profit is not necessary to make the renting activity a business.

"Rentor" does not include a car-sharing program or a shared-vehicle owner, as defined in Section 5 of the Car-Sharing Program Act, if tax due on the automobile under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act or Use Tax Act was paid upon the purchase of the automobile or when the automobile was brought into Illinois. The car-sharing program shall ask a shared vehicle owner if the shared vehicle owner paid applicable taxes at the time of purchase. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the car-sharing program shall have the right to rely on the shared vehicle owner's response and to be held legally harmless for such reliance.

"Rentee" means any user to whom the possession, or the right to possession, of an automobile is transferred for a valuable consideration for a period of one year or less, whether paid for by the "rentee" or by someone else.

"Rentee" does not include a shared-vehicle driver, as defined in Section 5 of the Car-Sharing Program Act, if tax due on the automobile under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act or Use Tax Act was paid upon the purchase of the automobile or when the automobile was brought into Illinois. The car-sharing program shall ask a shared vehicle owner if the shared vehicle owner paid applicable taxes at the time of purchase. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the car-sharing program shall have the right to rely on the shared vehicle owner's response and to be held legally harmless for such reliance.

"Gross receipts" from the renting of tangible personal property or "rent" means the total rental price or leasing price. In the case of rental transactions in which the consideration is paid to the rentor on an installment basis, the amounts of such payments shall be included by the rentor in gross receipts or rent only as and when payments are received by the rentor.

"Gross receipts" does not include receipts received by an automobile dealer from a manufacturer or service contract provider for the use of an automobile by a person while that person's automobile is being repaired by that automobile dealer and the repair is made pursuant to a manufacturer's warranty or a service contract where a manufacturer or service contract provider reimburses that automobile dealer pursuant to a manufacturer's warranty or a service contract and the reimbursement is merely made to recover the costs of operating the automobile as a loaner vehicle.

"Rental price" means the consideration for renting or leasing an automobile valued in money, whether received in money or otherwise, including cash credits, property and services, and shall be determined without any deduction on account of the cost of the property rented, the cost of materials used, labor or service cost, or any other expense whatsoever, but does not include charges that are added by a rentor on account of the rentor's tax liability under this Act or on account of the rentor's duty to collect, from the rentee, the tax that is imposed by Section 4 of this Act. The phrase "rental price" does not include compensation paid to a rentor by a rentee in consideration of the waiver by the rentor of any right of action or claim against the rentee for loss or damage to the automobile rented and also does not include a separately stated charge for insurance or recovery of refueling costs or other separately stated charges that are not for the use of tangible personal property.

"Rental price" does not include consideration paid for peer-to-peer car sharing to a shared-vehicle owner or a car-sharing program, as those terms are defined in Section 5 of the Car-Sharing Program Act, if tax due on the automobile under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act or Use Tax Act was paid upon the purchase of the automobile or when the automobile was brought into Illinois. The car-sharing program shall ask a shared vehicle owner if the shared vehicle owner paid applicable taxes at the time of purchase. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the car-sharing program shall have the right to rely on the shared vehicle owner's response and to be held legally harmless for such reliance.

(Source: P.A. 103-520, eff. 8-11-23.)