54:49-14. a. Any taxpayer, at any time within four years after the payment of any original or additional tax assessed against him, unless a shorter limit is fixed by the law imposing the tax, may file with the director a claim under oath for refund, in such form as the director may prescribe, stating the grounds therefor, but no claim for refund shall be required or permitted to be filed with respect to a tax paid, after protest has been filed with the director or after proceedings on appeal have been commenced as provided in this subtitle, until such protest or appeal has been finally determined. The signing of an agreement by the taxpayer and the director extending the period for assessment shall likewise extend the period for filing a claim for refund.

b. No taxpayer shall be precluded from claiming a refund of additional tax assessed solely on the ground that the taxpayer neither protested or appealed from any part of the assessment. A taxpayer may, pursuant to this subsection, file a claim for the refund of the assessment of additional tax if (1) the taxpayer neither protested nor appealed from the assessment, (2) the taxpayer paid the assessment in full within one year after the expiration of the period allowed for filing a protest of the assessment, (3) the taxpayer files the claim for the refund within 450 days of the expiration of the period allowed for filing such a protest, and (4) the amount of the refund claimed pursuant to this subsection does not exceed the amount of the assessment paid. The time periods provided shall apply solely for purposes of refund claims under this subsection and shall be inapplicable with respect to any penalty and interest payments that may be due. A refund claim shall be filed under oath, in a form as the director may prescribe, and shall state the grounds therefor, which grounds shall be limited to those issues raised by the deficiency assessment itself and shall not include any additional issues with respect to the original assessment of tax. The filing of a claim for refund by the taxpayer under this subsection shall neither extend or toll the time to request a hearing or appeal an additional assessment of tax as otherwise provided by law. The denial of a claim for refund shall be an action of the director subject to review pursuant to R.S.54:51A-14.

c. Each taxpayer shall file a separate refund claim. A refund claim on behalf of a class is not permitted.

d. If a tax is declared to be discriminatory in a final judicial decision from which all appeals have been exhausted, the director may, within the director’s sole discretion, refund or credit only the discriminatory portion of the tax.

Amended 1992, c.175, s.5; 1998, c.106, s.13.