There is hereby levied and imposed in lieu of all licenses and privilege taxes heretofore levied, except the taxes levied by the Mississippi Sales Tax Law, a tax upon each person, firm, association or corporation owning or operating any automatic weighing machine, any automatic vending machine or device for dispensing or selling postage stamps, any automatic vending machine or device for dispensing or selling cigarettes, and automatic machines selling and vending merchandise for the sale of which any tax has been paid by the owner, which service, stamps, or merchandise is obtained by depositing therein any token, coin, or coins, a tax according to the following schedules:
For each machine requiring the deposit of a token, coin, or coins, of less than Five Cents (5¢) .................... $2.50
For each machine requiring the deposit of a token, coin, or coins, of Five Cents (5¢) and less than Ten Cents (10¢) .................... $5.00
For each machine requiring the deposit of a token, coin, or coins of Ten Cents (10¢) and not more than Twenty Cents (20¢) .................... $7.50
For each machine requiring the deposit of a token, coin, or coins, of more than Twenty Cents (20¢) .................... $10.00
Provided, however, that such machines requiring deposits of Ten Cents (10¢) or less and vending food products only shall be exempt from the provisions of this article, and no such privilege tax shall be required to be paid when such machines are sponsored by local nonprofit civic service clubs or any other organization either incorporated or unincorporated and existing and operating under the laws of the State of Mississippi when such clubs or organizations expend the proceeds from such machines for charitable purposes only.
Miss. Code § 27-27-301