Collapse to view only § 70.509 - Penalties.

General

§ 70.501 - Meaning of terms.

When used in this subpart, where not otherwise distinctly expressed or manifestly incompatible with the intent thereof, terms shall have the meaning ascribed in this section.

Article. The commodity in respect to which the amount claimed was paid or collected as a tax.

Claimant. Any person who files a claim for a refund or credit of tax under this subpart.

District director of customs. The district director of customs at a headquarters port of the district (except the district of New York, N.Y.); the area directors of customs in the district of New York, N.Y.; and the port director at a port not designated as a headquarters port.

I.R.C. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Owner. A person who, by reason of a proprietary interest in the article, furnished the amount claimed to the claimant for the purpose of paying the tax.

Person. An individual, a trust, estate, partnership, association, company, or corporation.

Tax. Any tax imposed by 26 U.S.C. 5001-5066, or by any corresponding provision of prior internal revenue laws, and in the case of any commodity of a kind subject to a tax under any such sections, any tax equal to any such tax, any additional tax, or any floor stocks tax. The term includes an extraction denominated a “tax”, and any penalty, addition to tax, additional amount, or interest applicable to any such tax.

§ 70.502 - Applicability to certain credits or refunds.

The provisions of this subpart apply only where the credit or refund is claimed on the grounds that an amount of tax was assessed or collected erroneously, illegally, without authority, or in any manner wrongfully, or on the grounds that such amount was excessive. This subpart does not apply to:

(a) Any claim for drawback,

(b) Any claim made in accordance with any law expressly providing for credit or refund where an article is withdrawn from the market, returned to bond, or lost or destroyed, and

(c) Any claim based solely on errors in computation of the quantity of an article subject to tax or on mathematical errors in computation of the amount of the tax due, or to any claim in respect of tax collected or paid on an article seized and forfeited, or destroyed, as contraband.

§ 70.503 - Ultimate burden.

For the purposes of this subpart, the claimant, or owner, shall be treated as having borne the ultimate burden of an amount of tax only if:

(a) The claimant or owner has not, directly or indirectly, been relieved of such burden or shifted such burden to any other person,

(b) No understanding or agreement exists for any such relief or shifting, and

(c) If the claimant or owner has neither sold nor contracted to sell the articles involved in such claim, such claimant or owner agrees that there will be no such relief or shifting.

§ 70.504 - Conditions to allowance of credit or refund.

No credit or refund to which this subpart is applicable shall be allowed or made, pursuant to a court decision or otherwise, of any amount paid or collected as a tax unless a claim therefor has been filed, as provided in this subpart, by the person who paid the tax and the claimant, in addition to establishing that such claimant is otherwise legally entitled to credit or refund of the amount claimed, establishes:

(a) That the claimant bore the ultimate burden of the amount claimed, or

(b) That the claimant has unconditionally repaid the amount claimed to the person who bore the ultimate burden of such amount, or

(c) That:

(1) The owner of the article furnished the claimant the amount claimed for payment of the tax;

(2) The claimant has filed with the appropriate TTB officer the written consent of such owner to the allowance to the claimant of the credit or refund; and

(3) Such owner satisfies the requirements of paragraph (a) or (b) of this section.

§ 70.505 - Requirements on persons intending to file claim.

Any person who, having paid the tax with respect to an article, desires to claim refund or credit of any amount of such tax to which the provisions of this subpart are applicable must:

(a) File a claim, as provided in § 70.506, and

(b) Comply with any other provisions of law or regulations which may apply to the claim.

Claim Procedure

§ 70.506 - Execution and filing of claim.

Claims to which this subpart is applicable must be executed on Form 2635 (5620.8) in accordance with the instructions on the form. (For provisions relating to handcarried documents, see 27 CFR 70.304). Claims for credit or refund of taxes collected by district directors of customs, to which the provisions of section 6423, I.R.C., are applicable and which Customs regulations (19 CFR Part 24—Customs Financial and Accounting Procedure) require to be filed with the appropriate TTB officer, must be executed and filed in accordance with applicable Customs regulations and this subpart. The claim must set forth each ground upon which the claim is made in sufficient detail to apprise the appropriate TTB officer of the exact basis therefor. Allegations pertaining to the bearing of the ultimate burden relate to additional conditions which must be established for a claim to be allowed and are not in themselves legal grounds for allowance of a claim. There shall also be attached to the form and made part of the claim the supporting data required by § 70.507. All evidence relied upon in support of such claim shall be clearly set forth and submitted with the claim.

[T.D.ATF-376, 61 FR 31031, June 19, 1996, as amended by T.D. ATF-450, 66 FR 29030, May 29, 2001]

§ 70.507 - Data to be shown in claim.

Claims to which this subpart is applicable, in addition to the requirements of § 70.506 must set forth or contain the following:

(a) A statement that the claimant paid the amount claimed as a “tax” as defined in this subpart.

(b) Full identification (by specific reference to the form number, the date of filing, the place of filing, and the amount paid on the basis of the particular form or return) of the tax forms or returns covering the payments for which refund or credit is claimed.

(c) The written consent of the owner to the allowance of the refund or credit to the claimant (where the owner of the article in respect of which the tax was paid furnished the claimant the amount claimed for the purpose of paying the tax).

(d) If the claimant (or owner, as the case may be) has neither sold nor contracted to sell the articles involved in the claim, a statement that the claimant (or owner, as the case may be) agrees not to shift, directly or indirectly in any manner whatsoever, the burden of the tax to any other person.

(e) If the claim is for refund of a floor stocks tax, or of an amount resulting from an increase in rate of tax applicable to an article, a statement as to whether the price of the article was increased on or following the effective date of such floor stocks tax or rate increase, and if so, the date of the increase, together with full information as to the amount of such price increase.

(f) Specific evidence (such as relevant records, invoices, or other documents, or affidavits of individuals having personal knowledge of pertinent facts) which will satisfactorily establish the conditions to allowance set forth in § 70.504.

(g) The appropriate TTB officer may require the claimant to furnish as a part of the claim such additional information as may be deemed necessary.

§ 70.508 - Time for filing claim.

No credit or refund of any amount of tax to which the provisions of this subpart apply shall be made unless the claimant files a claim therefor within the time prescribed by law and in accordance with the provisions of this subpart.

Penalties

§ 70.509 - Penalties.

It is an offense punishable by fine and imprisonment for anyone to make or cause to be made any false or fraudulent claim upon the United States, or to make any false or fraudulent statements, or representations, in support of any claim, or to falsely or fraudulently execute any documents required by the provisions of the internal revenue laws, or any regulations made in pursuance thereof.