§ 86-903. Prepaid wireless surcharge; determination; Department of Revenue; duties; collection; disclosure; liability of consumer.

(1) The Department of Revenue shall determine the prepaid wireless surcharge annually, effective January 1, based on the charges described in subsection (2) of this section as in effect on the preceding July 1. The department shall provide not less than ninety days' advance notice of any change in the prepaid wireless surcharge on the department's website. (2) The rate of the prepaid wireless surcharge shall be the sum of the following three percentages, rounded up to the nearest tenth of one percent: (a) The percentage obtained by dividing (i) the amount of the wireless surcharge authorized under subsection (1) of section 86-1070 by (ii) fifty; (b) The percentage obtained by dividing (i) the amount of the Nebraska Telecommunications Relay System Fund surcharge set by the Public Service Commission pursuant to the Telecommunications Relay System Act by (ii) fifty; and (c) The percentage obtained by multiplying (i) the Nebraska Telecommunications Universal Service Fund surcharge percentage rate set by the Public Service Commission by (ii) one minus the Federal Communications Commission safe harbor percentage for determining the interstate portion of a fixed monthly wireless charge. (3) The Department of Revenue shall provide the Public Service Commission with prepaid wireless surcharge calculation and collection data upon request by the commission. (4) Beginning January 1, 2013, each seller shall collect the prepaid wireless surcharge from the consumer with respect to each retail transaction occurring in this state. The seller shall disclose the amount of the prepaid wireless surcharge either separately on an invoice, receipt, or other similar document that is provided to the consumer by the seller or otherwise. A retail transaction that is effected in person by a 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 shall be treated as occurring in this state if the retail transaction is treated as occurring in this state for purposes of section 77-2703. (5) The prepaid wireless surcharge is the liability of the consumer and not of the seller or of any provider, except that the seller shall be liable to remit all prepaid wireless surcharges that the seller collects from consumers as provided in section 86-904, including all such charges that the seller is deemed to collect when the amount of the charge has not been separately stated on an invoice, receipt, or other similar document provided to the consumer by the seller. (6) The amount of the prepaid wireless surcharge that is collected by a seller from a consumer, whether or not such amount is separately stated on an invoice, receipt, or other similar document provided to the 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. (7) For purposes of subsection (4) of this section, when prepaid wireless telecommunications service is sold with one or more other products or services for a single, non-itemized price, the seller shall elect to treat the price of the prepaid wireless telecommunications service (a) as such entire non-itemized price, (b) if the amount of prepaid wireless telecommunications service is disclosed to the consumer as a dollar amount, as such dollar amount, or (c) if the retailer can identify the portion of the price that is attributable to the prepaid wireless telecommunications service by reasonable and verifiable standards from its books and records that are kept in the regular course of business for other purposes, including, but not limited to, nontax purposes, as such portion. If the amount of prepaid wireless telecommunications service is denominated as ten minutes or less or as five dollars or less, the seller may elect not to collect any prepaid wireless surcharge with respect to the retail transaction. History: Laws 2012, LB1091, § 3; Laws 2018, LB157, § 6; Laws 2025, LB362, § 12; Laws 2026, LB1126, § 96.