Sec. 3b.
(1) The department of treasury may audit, assess, and collect the amount of money reflecting unclaimed bottle deposits owed to this state, and enforce the obligation to pay the amount of money reflecting unclaimed bottle deposits owed to this state, in the same manner as revenues and according to the provisions of 1941 PA 122, MCL 205.1 to 205.31.
(2) Not later than March 1, 1991 and not later than March 1 of each year thereafter, an underredeemer shall pay to the department of treasury that amount of money by which its annual total value of deposits exceeds its annual total value of refunds made on redeemed beverage containers, subject to the overredemption credit contained in this section.
(3) After March 1, 1991, an underredeemer who becomes an overredeemer in a subsequent year may credit the value of the overredemption in order to reduce the amount of money owed to the department of treasury under this section in 1 or more subsequent years as a result of that person again becoming an underredeemer. The value of the overredemption may be carried forward for not more than 3 years or until the credit granted in this section is completely depleted, whichever occurs first.
(4) A manufacturer who no longer originates deposits may carry the value of an overredemption back for prior years in order to utilize its credit, and reduce the amount of underredemption owed to the department of treasury under this section on a 1-time basis only. Utilization of this 1-time credit may be applied against underredemption amounts owed for reporting years commencing in 1990.
(5) As used in this section:
(a) "Overredeemer" means a distributor or manufacturer whose annual total value of deposits collected on beverage containers sold within this state is less than the annual total value of refunds made upon beverage containers redeemed within this state.
(b) "Underredeemer" means a distributor or manufacturer whose annual total value of deposits collected on beverage containers sold within this state exceeds annual total value of refunds made upon beverage containers redeemed within this state.
(6) In addition to the report prescribed in section 3a, if an underredeemer purchases empty returnable containers from an overredeemer, that purchase shall be reported by the underredeemer as a "refund made" and shall be reported by the overredeemer as a "deposit originated" in the report prescribed by section 3a. The report made by an underredeemer shall include the name and address of each overredeemer and the refund value of the empty returnable beverage containers purchased from each overredeemer. The report made by an overredeemer shall include the name and address of each underredeemer who purchased the returnable containers from that overredeemer and the refund value of the empty returnable beverage containers sold. The total consideration paid by an underredeemer to an overredeemer as authorized by this subsection shall equal the redemption value of the container.
(7) A purchase or sale made under subsection (6) during January of each year shall be included in the report for the previous calendar year only.
History: Add. 1989, Act 148, Eff. July 27, 1989 ;-- Am. 1996, Act 384, Imd. Eff. July 24, 1996 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 473, Eff. Apr. 1, 1999
Popular Name: Bottle Bill