HRS § 245-7 - Determination of taxes; additional assessments, credits, and refunds
AI-assisted research summary: The tax department must examine each filed return and determine the tax due. It may assess extra tax if the return understates the tax or no tax was paid, and wholesalers or dealers may get reductions, credits, or refunds for overpayments, subject to time limits and other conditions.
(a) As soon as practicable after each return shall have been filed, the department of taxation shall cause it to be examined and shall compute and determine the amount of the taxes payable thereon. (b) If it should appear upon the examination or within five years after the filing of the return, or at any time if no return has been filed, as a result of the examination, or as a result of any examination of the records of the wholesaler or dealer, or of any other inquiry or investigation, that the correct amount of the taxes is greater than that shown on the return, or that any taxes imposed by this chapter have not been paid, an assessment of the taxes may be made in the manner provided in section 235-108(b). The amount of the taxes for the period covered by the assessment shall not be reduced below the amount determined by an assessment so made, except upon appeal or in a proceeding brought pursuant to section 40-35. (c) If the wholesaler or dealer has paid or returned with respect to any month more than the amount determined to be the correct amount of taxes for the month, the amount of the taxes so returned and any assessment of taxes made pursuant to the return may be reduced, and any overpayment of taxes may be credited upon the taxes imposed by this chapter, or at the election of the wholesaler or dealer, the wholesaler or dealer not being delinquent in the payment of any taxes owing to the State, may be refunded in the manner provided in section 231-23(c); provided that no reduction of taxes may be made when forbidden by subsection (b) or more than five years after the filing of the return. [L 1939, c 220, §8; RL 1945, §5757; RL 1955, §125-7; am L Sp 1957, c 1, §29; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §16; am L 1963, c 45, §8; HRS ; gen ch 1985; am L 1993, c 220, §12; am L 2000, c 249, §§7, 20(2)]