NMSA 63-9F-11. Imposition of surcharge

63-9F-11. Imposition of surcharge. A. A telecommunications relay service surcharge of one and sixty-six hundredths percent is imposed on the gross amount paid: (1) by customers, except customers whose telephone service rates are reduced as a result of the low-income telecommunications assistance program pursuant to the Rural Telecommunications Act of New Mexico [Chapter 63, Article 9H NMSA 1978], for intrastate telecommunications services provided in this state; (2) by customers for the intrastate portion of interconnected voice over internet protocol service; (3) by customers for intrastate mobile telecommunications services that originate and terminate in the same state, regardless of where the mobile telecommunications services originate, terminate or pass through, provided by home service providers to customers whose place of primary use is in New Mexico; and (4) by a prepaid consumer in a retail transaction. B. The telecommunications relay service surcharge shall be included on the monthly bill of each customer of a local exchange company or other telecommunications company providing intrastate telecommunications services, interconnected voice over internet protocol services or intrastate mobile telecommunications services and paid at the time of payment of the monthly bill. Receipts from selling those services to any other telecommunications company or provider for resale are not subject to the surcharge. The customer is liable for the payment of the surcharge to the provider of intrastate mobile telecommunications services, the provider of interconnected voice over internet protocol services or the local exchange company or other telecommunications company providing intrastate telecommunications services to the customer. C. For the purposes of the surcharge imposed on a retail transaction pursuant to Paragraph (4) of Subsection A of this section: (1) the surcharge shall be collected by the seller from the prepaid consumer with respect to each retail transaction occurring in this state. The amount of the surcharge shall be either separately stated on an invoice, receipt or other similar document that is provided to the prepaid consumer by the seller or otherwise disclosed to the prepaid consumer; (2) for the purposes of Paragraph (1) of this subsection, a retail transaction that is effected in person by a prepaid consumer at a business location of the seller shall be treated as occurring in this state if that business location is in this state, and any other retail transaction is treated as occurring in this state if the retail transaction is treated as occurring in this state for purposes of the Gross Receipts and Compensating Tax Act [Chapter 7, Article 9 NMSA 1978]; (3) the surcharge is the liability of the prepaid consumer and not of the seller or any provider; provided that the seller shall be liable to remit all surcharges collected from the prepaid consumer as provided in this subsection, including all such surcharges that the seller is deemed to collect where the amount of the surcharge has not been separately stated on an invoice, receipt or other similar document provided to the prepaid consumer by the seller; (4) the amount of the surcharge that is collected by a seller from a prepaid consumer, if such amount is separately stated on an invoice, receipt or other similar document provided to the prepaid consumer by the seller, shall not be included in the base for measuring any tax, fee, surcharge or other charge that is imposed by this state, any political subdivision of this state or any intergovernmental agency; (5) when prepaid wireless communications service is sold with one or more other products or services for a single, non-itemized price, the percentage specified in Subsection A of this section shall apply to the entire non-itemized price unless the seller elects to apply such percentage to: (a) if the amount of the prepaid wireless communications service is disclosed to the prepaid consumer as a dollar amount, such dollar amount; or (b) if the seller can identify the portion of the price that is attributable to the prepaid wireless communications service by reasonable and verifiable standards from its books and records that are kept in the regular course of business for other purposes, including non-tax purposes, such portion; (6) if a minimal amount of prepaid wireless communications service is sold with a prepaid wireless device for a single, non-itemized price, the seller may elect not to apply the percentage specified in Subsection A of this section to such transaction. For the purposes of this paragraph, an amount of service denominated as ten minutes or less, or five dollars ($5.00) or less, is minimal; (7) surcharges collected by sellers shall be remitted to the taxation and revenue department at the times and in the manner provided with respect to the Gross Receipts and Compensating Tax Act. The department shall establish registration and payment procedures that substantially coincide with the registration and payment procedures that apply to the Gross Receipts and Compensating Tax Act. A seller shall be permitted to deduct and retain three percent of surcharges that are collected by the seller from the prepaid consumer; (8) the audit and appeal procedures applicable to the Gross Receipts and Compensating Tax Act shall apply to the surcharge; (9) the taxation and revenue department shall establish procedures by which a seller of prepaid wireless communications services may document that a sale is not a retail transaction, which procedures shall substantially coincide with the procedures for documenting sale for resale transactions for the Gross Receipts and Compensating Tax Act; and (10) notwithstanding Paragraph (1) of this subsection, if a 911 surcharge is imposed on prepaid wireless communications service pursuant to the Enhanced 911 Act [63-9D-1 to 63-9D-11.1 NMSA 1978], the taxation and revenue department shall promulgate rules to permit sellers to combine the surcharge imposed pursuant to this section and the surcharge imposed pursuant to the Enhanced 911 Act into a single surcharge on the invoice, receipt or other similar document that is provided to the prepaid consumer. The department shall ensure that appropriate surcharge revenues are directed proportionately to the respective 911 and telecommunications relay service funds. D. A telecommunications company providing intrastate telecommunications services, a home service provider providing intrastate mobile telecommunications services and a seller of interconnected voice over internet protocol services shall, on sales subject to the telecommunications relay service surcharge, assess and collect the surcharge and remit the surcharge collected monthly to the taxation and revenue department on or before the twenty-fifth day of the month following collection. The department shall administer and enforce the collection of the surcharge in accordance with the Tax Administration Act [Chapter 7, Article 1 NMSA 1978]. E. The taxation and revenue department shall transfer the following amounts of the net receipts of the telecommunications relay service surcharge collected, less any amount deducted in accordance with Subsection F of this section, within the month following the month in which the surcharge is collected: (1) twenty percent to the telecommunications access fund; and (2) eighty percent to the 988 lifeline fund. F. The taxation and revenue department may deduct an amount not to exceed three percent of the telecommunications relay service surcharge collected as a charge for the administrative costs of collection and shall remit that amount to the state treasurer for deposit in the general fund each month. G. The commission and the health care authority shall report to the revenue stabilization and tax policy committee annually by September 30 the following information with respect to the prior fiscal year: (1) the amount and source of revenue received by the telecommunications access fund and the 988 lifeline fund; (2) the amount and category of expenditures from the funds; and (3) the balance of the funds on that June 30. History: Laws 1993, ch. 54, § 11; 1996, ch. 48, § 2; 2002, ch. 18, § 7; 2004, ch. 106, § 6; 2017, ch. 96, § 2; 2025, ch. 84, § 6; 2026, ch. 34, § 3.