A. Any aircraft sold to or used by (i) the United States or any of the governmental agencies thereof, (ii) the Commonwealth of Virginia or any political subdivision thereof, (iii) any air carrier operating in intrastate, interstate or foreign commerce providing scheduled air service as defined in § 58.1-1501, (iv) any nonprofit charitable organization that is exempt from taxation under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that is organized and operated exclusively for the purpose of providing charitable, long-distance, advanced life-support, air transportation services using an emergency medical services vehicle for low-income medical patients in the Commonwealth, or (v) an organization that is exempt from taxation under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that is organized for the primary purpose of distributing food, clothing, medicines and other necessities of life to, and providing shelter for, needy persons in the United States and throughout the world shall be exempt from the tax imposed by this chapter.

B. Aircraft that are (i) considered Warbirds, manufactured and intended for military use, excluding those manufactured after 1954, and (ii) used only for (a) exhibit or display to the general public and otherwise used for educational purposes (including such flights as are necessary for testing, maintaining, or preparing such aircraft for safe operation), or (b) airshow and flight demonstrations (including such flights necessary for testing, maintaining, or preparing such aircraft for safe operation), but not including any aircraft used for commercial purposes, including transportation and other services for a fee, shall be exempt from the tax imposed by this chapter.

C. Beginning July 1, 2011, and ending December 31, 2014, any aircraft purchased or used by a qualified company shall be exempt from the tax imposed by this chapter. For purposes of this subsection, a qualified company shall be an aviation-related company, limited liability company, partnership, or a combination of such entities that have a common ownership interest through a parent, as a direct or indirect subsidiary of a parent, or as affiliated brother-sister entities that (i) is headquartered in the Commonwealth, (ii) between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014, makes a new capital investment of at least $4 million in aviation-related real estate and real estate improvements in the Commonwealth on publicly-owned, public-use airports, (iii) between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014, creates in the Commonwealth at least 50 new jobs that pay at least one and a half times the prevailing average wage in the locality in which the jobs are located, (iv) owns or uses aircraft that are used primarily for intrastate, interstate, or foreign commerce, and (v) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, after consultation with the Virginia Department of Aviation, on or before December 31, 2014, that at a minimum provides the details for determining the amount of capital investment made and the number of new jobs created, the timeline for achieving the capital investment and new job goals, the repayment obligations should those goals not be achieved, and any conditions under which repayment by the qualifying person claiming the exemption may be required.

D. Any aircraft sold in the Commonwealth as evidenced by Federal Aviation Administration Bill of Sale AC Form 8050-2 and registered outside of the Commonwealth as evidenced by Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft Registration AC Form 8050-1 shall be exempt from the sales tax imposed by this chapter, so long as the aircraft is removed from the Commonwealth within 60 days of the date of purchase on the Bill of Sale. If the aircraft is removed from the Commonwealth within 60 days of the date of purchase, the time between the date of purchase and the removal of the aircraft shall not be counted for purposes of determining whether the aircraft is subject to the use tax imposed by this chapter on aircraft that are based in the Commonwealth for over 60 days in any 12-month period.

Code 1950, §§ 58-685.31, 58-685.32; 1974, c. 431; 1980, cc. 109, 618; 1984, cc. 370, 675; 1995, cc. 204, 723, 786; 2007, c. 610; 2011, cc. 443, 492; 2015, cc. 502, 503.