(a) Every person, firm, corporation, association, or copartnership operating a vending machine business whereby tangible personal property is sold through or by the use of coin-operated machines shall pay an annual privilege license tax based on the total sales of each such vending company during the preceding year as follows:

(b) The revenue produced by the license taxes levied in this section shall be divided equally between the state and the several counties in which it is collected. No separate county license shall be required. The several probate judges and license commissioners shall report and remit monthly to the State Treasurer all moneys collected for the use of the state, and to the counties all moneys collected for the counties. The payment of such occupational license tax as herein provided for in one county in the state shall be sufficient, and the vending machine company shall conspicuously post, on each machine operated by him under such license, his name and address.

(c) Hotels, motels, tourist camps, or other places of business having less than five coin-operated radios shall pay $8 for each location, establishment, or place of business receiving transmitted music by wire or cable; except, that such locations, establishments, or places of business having less than five transmitters or speakers, $8 for each such transmitter or speaker in excess of four, $2 each; provided, that where the music transmitted by wire or cable from any central point or studio, whether such point or studio is situated within or without such location, establishment, or place of business, is not coin-operated or where no deposit of a coin or other thing of value into any machine is necessary in order that music may be heard, then each person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of transmitting music by wire or cable may pay in lieu of the speaker or transmitter tax specified above a privilege tax as follows: In counties of 60,000 inhabitants or less, $30; in counties of 60,001 and not exceeding 125,000 inhabitants, $60; in counties of 125, 001 inhabitants and over, $80; provided, that one license may be issued to include all coin-operated radios and/or transmitters or speakers located within such hotel, motel, tourist camp location, establishment, or other place of business, which license shall be prominently displayed. The licenses herein provided for shall be levied upon the operator of the machine, the coin-operated radio or the central point or studio from which point or studio the music is transmitted; provided, that in the event any unlicensed machine, coin-operated radio, transmitter, or speaker is found in any establishment or place of business, the operator of such establishment or place of business shall be the operator of such machine, coin-operated radio, transmitter, or speaker and shall be liable for the license therefor.

(d) Nothing in this section shall apply to machines installed by any person, firm, or corporation, nor to coin-operated gas meters, nor to coin-operated telephones, nor to a machine vending postage stamps in its place of business or vending necessary articles on a nonprofit basis for emergency use only by the employees of such person, firm, or corporation.

(e) No license shall be required under this section where a privilege or dealer's license is required by this chapter for the sale of such article, and such privilege license shall have been obtained by the person, firm, or corporation operating the place of business where such machine is located, or the owner of such vending machine shall have secured such privilege license as required herein.

(f) Any person operating or permitting the operation of a vending machine dispensing packages or in quantities less than a package of cigarettes, or any article on which there is an excise tax, the payment of which is evidenced by stamps, without first having paid the tax thereon by affixing the required stamps to the original package as required under Section 40-25-2, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punished as provided in such section for failure to pay said tax. Each vending machine vending tobacco products of any kind whatsoever shall have securely affixed thereto in full view the name and address of the legal owner of said machine. When tobacco products are found in such vending machines to be improperly stamped or unstamped, in violation of Section 40-25-2, such vending machine and contents shall be confiscated by any duly authorized agent of the Department of Revenue as provided in Section 40-25-2 for the confiscation of improperly stamped or unstamped tobacco products. Each vending machine vending tobacco products of any kind whatsoever shall have a transparent front window, or windows, through which the Alabama revenue stamps required by Section 40-25-2 may be seen without the necessity of opening or unlocking the vending machine.

(g) For the purpose of any excise or consumption taxes, the payment of which is not evidenced by stamps, levied on any of the articles dispensed through such machine, the person in whose place of business each machine is located shall be considered the consumer of such article and shall be liable for such taxes measured by the regular retail price thereof.

(h) No license shall be required under this section for home-type merchandise vending machines placed in private homes for home use only and not for public use.

(i) Nothing herein contained shall be construed as legalizing or licensing any machine or device which is now illegal or which may hereafter be declared illegal.

(j) All the licenses levied by this section shall bear the business address of the owner or operator thereof.

(k) It is the legislative intent that only the license required under this section shall be required for the operation of a vending machine company under this section within this state for any one license year.

(l) The license shall be purchased in the county in which the home office or principal place of business of the company is located or in operation on October 1, or at the time the license is purchased for the licensing year.

(m) Any person failing to perform any of the duties required of him by the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $10 and not exceeding $100 for each offense.

(n) In the event that a new business is formed which has not heretofore been in the vending machine business, it shall pay only the minimum license until such time as a new license is required.

(o) Each applicant for any license required herein shall by sworn statement supply the gross sales as required herein, and its books and records shall be available to any taxing authority within this state for inspection to insure compliance with this section.

(p) On all other vending machines whereby tangible personal property is not sold but services or amusements are vended, with the exception that coin-operated pool tables and coin-operated or self-service laundries are specifically excluded herefrom and licensed under other sections, operators shall pay a license as follows: On all machines whereby one cent is used, a fee of $1; on all machines where over one cent is used, a fee of $8. The license is to be paid, collected and distributed as heretofore provided in this section.

It is further provided that any fees, penalties, fines or other collections made by the Revenue Department upon owners of coin-operated or self-service laundries prior to the date of this amendatory act shall be returned in full to such owners.