For the purpose of this article, the following terms shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in this section:

(1) PERSON or COMPANY. Any individual, firm, company, partnership, association, corporation, receiver or trustee, or any other group or combination acting as a unit, and the plural as well as the singular number, unless the intention to give a more limited meaning is disclosed by the context.

(2) DEPARTMENT. The Department of Revenue of the State of Alabama.

(3) COMMISSIONER. The Commissioner of Revenue of the State of Alabama.

(4) WHOLESALE SALE or SALE AT WHOLESALE. Any one of the following:

a. A sale of tangible personal property by wholesaler to licensed retail merchants, jobbers, dealers or other wholesalers for resale and does not include a sale by wholesalers to users or consumers, not for resale.

b. A sale of tangible personal property or products, including iron ore, and including the furnished container and label of such property or products, to a manufacturer or compounder which enter into and become an ingredient or component part of the tangible personal property or products which the manufacturer or compounder manufactures or compounds for sale, whether or not such tangible personal property or product used in manufacturing or compounding a finished product is used with the intent that it become a component of the finished product; provided, however, that it is the intent of this section that no sale of capital equipment, machinery, tools, or product shall be included in the term "wholesale sale." The term "capital equipment, machinery, tools, or product" shall mean property that is subject to depreciation allowances for Alabama income tax purposes.

c. A sale of containers intended for one-time use only, and the labels thereof, when such containers are sold without contents to persons who sell or furnish such containers along with the contents placed therein for sale by such persons.

d. A sale of pallets intended for one-time use only when such pallets are sold without contents to persons who sell or furnish such pallets along with the contents placed thereon for sale by such persons.

e. A sale to a manufacturer or compounder, of crowns, caps and tops intended for one-time use employed and used upon the containers in which such manufacturer or compounder markets his products.

f. A sale of containers to persons engaged in selling or otherwise supplying or furnishing baby chicks to growers thereof where such containers are used for the delivery of such chicks or a sale of containers for use in the delivery of eggs by the producer thereof to the distributor or packer of such eggs even though such containers used for delivery of baby chicks or eggs may be recovered for reuse.

g. A sale of bagging and ties used in preparing cotton for market.

h. A sale of commercial fish feed including concentrates, supplements and other feed ingredients when such substances are used as ingredients in mixing and preparing feed for fish raised to be sold on a commercial basis.

i. A sale of tangible personal property to any person engaging in the business of leasing or renting such tangible personal property to others, if such tangible personal property is purchased for the purpose of leasing or renting it to others under a transaction subject to the privilege or license tax levied in Article 4 of Chapter 12 of this title against any person engaging in the business of leasing or renting tangible personal property to others.

j. A purchase or withdrawal of parts or materials from stock by any person licensed under this article where such parts or materials are used in repairing or reconditioning the tangible personal property of such licensed person which tangible personal property is a part of the stock of goods of such licensed person, offered for sale by him and not for use or consumption of such licensed person.

k. A sale to meat packers, manufacturers, compounders or processors of meat products of all casings used in moulding or forming wieners and Vienna sausages, even though such casings may be recovered for reuse.

(5) SALE AT RETAIL or RETAIL SALE. All sales of tangible personal property except those above defined as wholesale sales. The quantities of goods sold or prices at which sold are immaterial in determining whether or not a sale is at retail. Sales of building materials to contractors, builders or landowners for resale or use in the form of real estate are retail sales in whatever quantity sold. Sales of building materials, fixtures or other equipment to a manufacturer or builder of modular buildings for use in manufacturing, building or equipping a modular building ultimately becoming a part of real estate situated in the State of Alabama are retail sales, and the use, sale or resale of such building shall not be subject to the tax. Sales of tangible personal property to undertakers and morticians are retail sales and subject to the tax at the time of purchase, but are not subject to the tax on resale to the consumer. Sales of tangible personal property or products to manufacturers, quarry operators, mine operators or compounders, which are used or consumed by them in manufacturing, mining, quarrying or compounding and do not become an ingredient or component part of the tangible personal property manufactured or compounded as provided in subdivision (4) are retail sales. The term "sale at retail" or "retail sale" shall also mean and include the withdrawal, use or consumption of any tangible personal property by anyone who purchases same at wholesale, except property which has been previously withdrawn from the business or stock and so used or consumed and with respect to which property the tax has been paid because of such previous withdrawal, use or consumption, except property which enters into and becomes an ingredient or component part of tangible personal property or products manufactured or compounded for sale as provided in subdivision (4); and not for the personal and private use or consumption of any person so withdrawing, using or consuming the same, and such wholesale purchaser shall report and pay the taxes thereon; and except refinery, residue, or fuel gas, whether in a liquid or gaseous state, that has been generated by, or is otherwise a by-product of, a petroleum-refining process, which gas is then utilized in the process to generate heat or is otherwise utilized in the distillation or refining of petroleum products. The term "retail sale" or "sale at retail" shall also mean and include the sale of tangible personal property previously purchased at wholesale for the purpose of leasing or renting under a transaction subject to the privilege or license tax levied in Article 4 of Chapter 12 of this title, regardless of whether such sale is to the person who theretofore leased or rented the said tangible personal property or to some other person.

(6) BUSINESS. All activities engaged in, or caused to be engaged in, with the object of gain, profit, benefit or advantage, either direct or indirect, and not excepting subactivities producing marketable commodities used or consumed in the main business activity, each of which subactivities shall be considered business engaged in, taxable in the class in which it falls.

(7) STORAGE. Any keeping or retention in this state for any purpose except sale in the regular course of business or subsequent use solely outside this state of tangible personal property purchased at retail.

(8) USE. The exercise of any right or power over tangible personal property incident to the ownership of that property, or by any transaction where possession is given, except that it shall not include the sale of that property in the regular course of business.

(9) PURCHASE. Acquired for a consideration, whether such acquisition was effected by a transfer of title, or of possession or of both, or a license to use or consume; whether such transfer shall have been absolute or conditional, and by whatsoever means the same shall have been effected; and whether such consideration be a price or rental in money, or by way of exchange or barter.

(10) SALES PRICE. The total amount for which tangible personal property is sold, including any services, including transportation, that are a part of the sale, valued in money, whether paid in money or otherwise, and includes any amount for which credit is given to the purchaser by the seller, without any deduction therefrom on account of the cost of the property sold, the cost of the materials used, labor or service cost, interest charged, losses or any other expenses whatsoever; provided, that cash discounts allowed and taken on sales shall not be included and sales price shall not include the amount charged for property returned by customers when the entire amount charged therefor is refunded either in cash or by credit.

(11) IN THIS STATE or IN THE STATE. Within the exterior limits of the State of Alabama, and includes all territory within such limits owned by or ceded to the United States of America.

(12) AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE. A power shovel, dragline, crawler, crawler crane, ditcher or any similar machine which is self-propelled, in addition to self-propelled machines which are used primarily as instruments of conveyance.

(13) PREPAID TELEPHONE CALLING CARD. A sale of a prepaid telephone calling card or a prepaid authorization number, or both, shall be deemed the sale of tangible personal property subject to the tax imposed pursuant to this chapter. For purposes of this subdivision, the sale of prepaid wireless service that is evidenced by a physical card constitutes the sale of a prepaid telephone calling card, and the sale of prepaid wireless service that is not evidenced by a physical card constitutes the sale of a prepaid authorization number.

(14) PREPAID WIRELESS SERVICE. The right to use mobile telecommunications service, which must be paid for in advance and that is sold in predetermined units or dollars of which the number declines with use or the expiration of time in a known amount, and which may include rights to use non-telecommunications services or to download digital products or digital content. For purposes of this subdivision, mobile telecommunications service has the meaning ascribed by Section 40-21-120.

(15) REMOTE USE TAX. Amounts collected from out of state vendors who, on October 1, 2012, were or would have been remote sellers as defined in Section 40-23-171; and amounts remitted by consumers on the individual tax return.