§6405 Assessments

Summary

The Council must set a fee on odorized propane. The first fee cannot be more than one‑tenth of one cent (0.1¢) per gallon. After that, fees must cover the Council’s plans and programs but cannot exceed one‑half cent (0.5¢) per gallon unless a majority of voters in both the producer group and the retail marketer group approve a higher rate in a referendum. The fee may not rise by more than 0.1¢ per gallon in any one year. The owner of propane when it is odorized or imported pays the fee based on the amount sold and put into commerce. Payments are due monthly by the 25th of the next month. Propane exported out of the United States is not charged. The Council can choose different ways to collect the fee and may add late charges or interest for missed payments. Money collected can only be invested in very safe places, like U.S. government or agency bonds, state or local general obligation bonds, FDIC‑style bank accounts or certificates of deposit at Federal Reserve banks, or obligations fully guaranteed by the United States. The Council must work with any state propane education and research councils or similar state groups. That coordination can mean joint collection, a lower fee, or a rebate equal to 20% of the regular fee collected in that state. Rebates go only to state councils set up by law or similar entities that meet the Council’s requirements for approved programs.