A tax is imposed upon the privilege of using, in this State, an automobile which is rented from a rentor. Such tax is at the rate of 4% of the rental price of such automobile prior to July 1, 1985 and at the rate of 5% of the rental price of such automobile on and after July 1, 1985 paid to the rentor under any rental agreement. The tax herein imposed shall not apply to any governmental body, nor to any corporation, society, association, foundation or institution, organized and operated exclusively for charitable, religious or educational purposes, nor to any not for profit corporation, society, association, foundation, institution or organization which has no compensated officers or employees and which is organized and operated primarily for the recreation of persons 55 years of age or older, when using tangible personal property as a rentee.
The tax hereby imposed shall be collected from the rentee by a rentor maintaining a place of business in this State and remitted to the Department.
The tax hereby imposed and not paid to a rentor pursuant to the preceding paragraph of this Section shall be paid to the Department directly by any person using such automobile within this State.
Rentors shall collect the tax from rentees by adding the tax to the rental price of the automobile, when rented for use, in the manner prescribed by the Department. The Department shall have the power to adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for the adding of such tax by rentors to rental prices by prescribing bracket systems for the purpose of enabling such rentors to add and collect, as far as practicable, the amount of such tax.
The tax imposed by this Section shall, when collected, be stated as a distinct item separate and apart from the rental price of the automobile.
The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this Section; to collect all taxes, penalties and interest due hereunder; to dispose of taxes, penalties and interest so collected in the manner hereinafter provided, and to determine all rights to credit memoranda or refunds arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax, penalty or interest hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with, this Section, the Department and persons who are subject to this Section shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties and definitions of terms, and employ the same modes of procedure, as are prescribed in Sections 2, 3 through 3-80, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 (except provisions relating to transaction returns, electronic filing of returns, and quarter monthly payments), 10, 11, 12, 12a, 12b, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21 and 22 of the Use Tax Act, and are not inconsistent with this Section, as fully as if those provisions were set forth herein.
35 ILCS 155/4