(a) Imposition of tax. -- Upon every person exercising the privilege of engaging within this state in severing, extracting, reducing to possession or producing coal for sale, profit or commercial use, there is hereby imposed an annual minimum severance tax equal to 50¢ per ton of coal produced by the taxpayer for sale, profit or commercial use during the taxable year: Provided, That for taxable years ending after May 31, 1993, the minimum severance tax imposed on coal produced by the taxpayer for sale, profit or commercial use during such taxable year shall be 75¢ per ton, with such rate increase to apply only to tons of coal produced after May 31, 1993: Provided, however, That for taxable years ending after December 31, 1999, the minimum severance tax on coal may not be imposed on any ton of coal produced on or after April 1, 2000, on which the severance tax is imposed by the provisions of subsection (f), section three, article thirteen-a of this chapter.

(b) Credit against article thirteen-a tax. -- A person who pays the minimum severance tax imposed by this article shall be allowed a credit against the severance tax imposed on the privilege of producing coal by section three, article thirteen-a of this chapter, but not including the additional severance tax on coal imposed by section six of article thirteen-a of this chapter or, for taxable years ending after December 31, 1999, the severance tax imposed by the provisions of subsection (f), section three, article thirteen-a of this chapter on coal produced on or after April 1, 2000. The amount of credit allowed shall be equal to the liability of the taxpayer for the taxable year for payment of the minimum severance tax on coal imposed by this article: Provided, That the amount of credit allowed by this section may not exceed the severance tax liability of the taxpayer for the taxable year determined under section three of that article exclusive of the additional tax on coal imposed by section six of that article and, for taxable years ending after December 31, 1999, of the severance tax imposed by the provisions of subsection (f), section three, article thirteen-a of this chapter on coal produced on or after April 1, 2000, after application of all credits to which the taxpayer may be entitled except any credit allowed pursuant to chapter five-e of this code, any credit for installment payments of estimated tax paid pursuant to section six of this article during the taxable year and any credit for overpayment of article thirteen-a tax. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in no event may the credit allowed under chapter five-e of this code be allowed as a credit against the minimum severance tax imposed by this article.