Sec. 2.1. (a) The county auditor shall approve or deny a claim for refund.

(b) If the county auditor approves the claim for refund, the county auditor shall forward the claim to the county treasurer and county assessor for approval or denial. The county treasurer and county assessor shall each certify their approval or denial and return the claim to the county auditor not later than seventy-five (75) days after the date of the filing of the claim under section 1.1 of this chapter.

(c) If the county auditor, the county assessor, and the county treasurer approve the refund, the county auditor shall issue a warrant to the claimant payable on the general fund for the amount due under this section within forty-five (45) days of the approval of a claim for refund. In addition, the taxpayer is entitled to interest on any overpayment of property taxes. Interest shall be computed:

(1) from the date on which the taxes were paid or due, whichever is later, to the date on which the county auditor and the county treasurer approve the refund; and

(2) using the rate in effect under IC 6-8.1-10-1 for each particular year covered by the refund.

If the taxpayer no longer owns the property on which the tax was assessed and paid, the county auditor shall pay the refunds to the taxpayer or other lawful claimant.

(d) If the county auditor, the county assessor, or the county treasurer denies a refund, the county auditor shall send a notice to the claimant. The claimant may, within forty-five (45) days of the notice of denial, file an original action claiming a refund in a court of competent jurisdiction in the county where the property is located.

(e) If a credit is not applied or a refund is not paid within one hundred twenty (120) days from the date a claim was filed under section 1.1 of this chapter, a claimant may file an original action claiming a refund in a court of competent jurisdiction in the county where the property is located. An original action must be filed by the later of four (4) years after the tax is paid, or four (4) years after the final disposition of an appeal by the county board, board of tax review, department of local government finance, or a court, with respect to a particular tax year.

(f) The county auditor shall correct the tax duplicate for refunds. In the June or December settlement and apportionment of taxes, or both the June and December settlement and apportionment of taxes, immediately following a refund made under this section the county auditor shall deduct the amount refunded from the gross tax collections of the taxing units for which the refunded taxes were originally paid and shall pay the amount so deducted out of the general fund. However, the county auditor shall make the deductions and payments required by this subsection not later than the December settlement and apportionment. The county auditor shall notify the county executive of the payment of the amount due.

As added by P.L.232-2017, SEC.29.