People and retail operators dealing in tobacco products must keep specified records and invoices, and those records are subject to Department of Revenue audit and inspection.
It shall be the duty of every person, firm, corporation, club, or association of persons, receiving, storing, selling, or handling tobacco products enumerated herein in any manner whatsoever to keep and preserve all invoices, books, papers, cancelled checks, or other memoranda touching the purchase, sale, exchange, or receipt of any and all tobacco products enumerated herein. All such invoices, books, papers, cancelled checks, or other memoranda shall be subject to audit and inspection by any duly authorized representative of the Department of Revenue at any and all times. Each operator of a retail outlet shall receive, examine, and retain the purchase invoice from the source of the tobacco products for every purchase of tobacco products for a period of 90 days at the retail location. At the end of the 90 days, the purchase records shall be maintained with the required books and records for a period of three years from the date of purchase. Invoices received by the retailer dealer must be computer or machine generated and must show the seller’s or supplier’s name. Invoices cannot be handwritten. Failure to acquire appropriate invoices, substantiate tax payment or retain invoices in the above manner may result in confiscation of the tobacco products in accordance with the procedures of this chapter. Any person, firm, corporation, club, or association of persons who fails or refuses to keep and preserve the records as herein required, or who upon request by a duly authorized agent of the Department of Revenue fails or refuses to allow an audit or inspection of records as hereinabove provided may be subject to a department imposed penalty of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). This penalty is multiplied by the number of violations of this subsection.