Act on General Rules for National Taxes

If there is a refund or an overpayment or payment by mistake of national tax (hereinafter referred to as a "refund, etc."), the regional commissioner, district director or director-general of a customs house must refund it in cash without delay.

If the regional commissioner finds it necessary, the regional commissioner may take over, from the district director with jurisdiction over an area within the regional commissioner's jurisdictional district, the refund of a refund, etc. that the district director is to refund.

Where there is a refund, etc., if there is any national tax that the person who is to receive the refund is required to pay (if the refund, etc. pertains to a national tax for which the liability to pay is an obligation covered by the trust property, limited to a national tax for which the liability to pay is that obligation covered by the trust property, and if the refund, etc. does not pertain to a national tax for which the liability to pay is an obligation covered by the trust property, limited to a national tax other than a national tax for which the liability to pay is an obligation covered only by the trust property), the regional commissioner, district director or director-general of a customs house must appropriate the refund, etc. to that national tax in lieu of refunding it under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article. In this case, if that national tax includes delinquent tax or interest tax, the refund, etc. must first be appropriated to the national tax that is the basis for the calculation of the delinquent tax or interest tax.

When an appropriation has been made under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the national tax in an amount equivalent to the refund, etc. so appropriated is deemed to have been paid at the time specified by Cabinet Order as the time when it became appropriate to make the appropriation.

When the regional commissioner, district director or director-general of a customs house has made an appropriation under the provisions of paragraph (1), they must notify the person who is to pay the national tax to which the appropriation pertains of that fact.

Where the regional commissioner of a Regional Taxation Bureau, the district director of a tax office or the director-general of a customs house pays or appropriates a refund, etc., they must multiply the amount to be refunded or appropriated by the rate of 7.3% per annum, and add this amount (hereinafter referred to as the "interest on refund") to the amount to be refunded or appropriated, based on the number of days in the period from the day following the day specified in each of the following items for the category of refund, etc. listed in the relevant item, until the day of the decision to pay the relevant refund or the day on which the relevant refund is appropriated (where appropriation was possible before that date, the day on which it became possible to make the appropriation) (or during the period otherwise specified by other national tax laws):

a refund or any of the following overpayments: the day on which the national tax causing the refund or overpayment was paid (if such day precedes the statutory payment due date of the national tax, the statutory due date):

An overpayment arising from national tax (including any delinquent national tax and interest tax thereon) for which the payable tax amount has been determined by a reassessment or determination under the provisions of Article 25 (Determination) or an assessment and determination (hereinafter referred to as a "reassessment or determination, etc.") (excluding overpayment as set forth in the following item);

An overpayment arising from the national tax (including any delinquent national tax) for which the payable tax amount is determined without any special procedure upon the establishment of the tax liability, and for which notice of tax payment has been given;

An overpayment specified by Cabinet Order as arising from national tax that is similar to the overpayments listed in (a) or (b);

an overpayment arising from national tax (including any delinquent tax and interest tax thereon) for which the payable tax amount has been reduced due to a reassessment based on a request for reassessment (including a determination of the taxation agency, a decision of the National Tax Tribunal or a judicial decision on an appeal against or action for a disposition made in response to such a request): the day on which three months have elapsed from the day following the day on which the request for reassessment was made, or the day on which one month has elapsed from the day following the day on which the reassessment was carried out, whichever comes earlier (if such day precedes the statutory payment due date of the national tax, the statutory due date); or

an overpayment or other payment by mistake arising from national tax, except for the overpayments listed in the preceding two items:the day on which one month has elapsed from the day following the day specified by Cabinet Order as the day on which such overpayment or payment by mistake occurred.

In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, if any of the following items applies, the period specified in the relevant item is deducted from the period prescribed in that paragraph:

where a seizure order or seizure disposition under the provisions of the Civil Enforcement Act (Act No. 4 of 1979) has been issued with regard to the claim for the refund, etc.: the period until the day on which seven days have elapsed from the day following the day on which the seizure order or seizure disposition was served;

where a provisional seizure has been effected against the claim for the refund, etc.: the period during which the provisional seizure is in effect.

If an overpayment or payment by mistake arises with regard to a national tax paid in two or more installments, the provisions of paragraph (1) apply to that overpayment or payment by mistake by deeming it to consist of the overpayment or payment by mistake of the amounts obtained by going back successively, in the order of the payment dates, from the amount paid last until the amount of the overpayment or payment by mistake is reached.

If a national tax that has been lawfully paid has become overpaid based on the provisions of an Act that changes the amount payable without affecting the lawful payment, the provisions of paragraph (1) apply to that overpayment by deeming it to be the overpayment or payment by mistake listed in item (iii) of that paragraph and deeming the day on which it became overpaid to be the day listed in that item, respectively.

Where a national tax using the self-assessment system has been paid, if a reassessment (excluding a reassessment based on a request for reassessment) has been made of that national tax on the grounds that the economic results arising from a void act included in the facts that formed the basis for the calculation of its tax basis have been lost due to that act being void, that a voidable act included in those facts has been rescinded, or other grounds specified by Cabinet Order as equivalent thereto, the provisions of paragraph (1) apply to the national tax equivalent to the amount overpaid as a result of that reassessment (including accessory tax thereon that has become overpaid as a result of that reassessment) by deeming the day on which one month has elapsed counting from the day following the day on which that reassessment was made to be the day listed in each item of that paragraph.

If a taxpayer has paid an amount after notifying the district director that it is paid as any of the following national taxes, the taxpayer may not claim a refund of that amount:

a national tax for which the payable tax amount has been determined but whose payment period has not yet arrived; and

a national tax for which it is found certain that the payable tax amount will be determined in the near future.

Where a payment falling under the provisions of the preceding paragraph has been made, if the payment has become unnecessary with regard to all or part of the national tax to which the payment pertains due to an amendment to the national tax laws or for any other reason, an overpayment or payment by mistake of national tax is deemed to have occurred at that time, and the provisions of the preceding three Articles apply.