(A) Whenever the amount of any tax has been overpaid, paid more than once, or has been erroneously or illegally collected or received by the Tax Administrator under this subchapter, it may be refunded as provided in this section.
(B) The Tax Administrator may refund any tax that has been overpaid, paid more than once, or has been erroneously or illegally collected or received by the Tax Administrator under this subchapter, provided that no refund shall be paid under the provisions of this section unless the claimant or his or her guardian, conservator, executor or administrator has submitted a written claim, under penalty of perjury, to the Tax Administrator within one year of the overpayment or erroneous or illegal collection of said tax. Such claim must clearly establish claimant’s right to the refund by written records showing entitlement thereto. Nothing herein shall permit the filing of a refund claim on behalf of a class or group of taxpayers. Where the amount of any individual refund claim is in excess of $15,000, City Council approval shall be required.
(C) It is the intent of the city that the one year written claim requirement of this section be given retroactive effect, provided, however, that any claims which arose prior to the enactment of the one year claims period of this section, and which are not otherwise barred by a then-applicable statute of limitations or claims procedure, must be filed with the Tax Administrator as provided in this division within 90 days following the effective date of this ordinance.
(D) The Tax Administrator, or the City Council where the claim is in excess of $15,000, shall act upon the refund claim within 45 days of the initial receipt of the refund claim. Said decision shall be final. If the Tax Administrator/City Council fails or refuses to act on a refund claim within the 45 day period, the claim shall be deemed to have been rejected by the Tax Administrator/City Council on the forty-fifth day. The Tax Administrator shall give notice of the action in a form which substantially complies with that set forth in Cal. Gov’t Code § 913.
(E) The filing of a written claim is a prerequisite to any suit thereon. Any action brought against the city pursuant to this section shall be subject to the provisions of Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 945.6 and 946.
(F) Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, whenever a service supplier, pursuant to an order of the California Public Utilities Commission, makes a refund to service users of charges for past utility services, the taxes paid pursuant to this subchapter on the amount of such refunded charges shall also be refunded to service users, and the service supplier shall be entitled to claim a credit for such refunded taxes against the amount of tax which is due upon the next monthly returns. In the event this subchapter is repealed, the amounts of any refundable taxes will be borne by the city.
(G) Notwithstanding divisions (B) and (C) above, a service supplier shall be entitled to take any overpayment as a credit against an underpayment whenever such overpayment has been received by the city within the three years next preceding a notice of tax deficiency or assessment by the Tax Administrator, or during any year for which the service supplier, at the request of the Tax Administrator, has executed a waiver of the defense of the statute of limitations with regard to any claim the city may have for a utility users tax. A service supplier shall not be entitled to said credit unless it clearly establishes the right to the credit by written records showing entitlement thereto. Under no circumstances shall an overpayment taken as a credit against an underpayment pursuant to this division qualify a service supplier for a refund to which it would not otherwise be entitled under the one-year written claim requirement of this section.
(‘65 Code, § 3-6.513) (Ord. 390-C.S., passed - - ; Am. Ord. 516-C.S., passed 8-21-01; Am. Ord. Measure A, passed - - )