(1) Where any amount is refundable to a dealer under the provisions of this Act, after having duly verified the fact of deposit of such amount, the assessing authority or the officer authorised by the Commissioner, shall in the prescribed manner refund to such dealer the amount to be refunded either by cash payment or by adjustment against the tax or other sum due in respect of any tax period;

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, where a registered dealer files a return and claims refund on account of sales in the course of export outside the territory of India, the assessing authority or officer authorised by the Commissioner may require such dealer to furnish such documents as may be prescribed and after having been satisfied shall within thirty days from the date of such claim, grant the dealer a refund in cash.

(3) Where an amount or tax is collected from any person who is not registered under this Act and such amount or tax is not found payable by him, or where an amount in lieu of tax for any works contract is deducted in any manner by an awarder from any bill of payment to a contractor, who is not liable to pay tax under this Act, the amount so collected or deducted shall be refunded in the prescribed manner by the Assistant Commissioner or the Commercial Taxes Officer, as the case may be, in whose territorial jurisdiction such person or contractor ordinarily resides; and where such person or contractor does not reside in the State, then such refund shall be made by such officer as may be directed by the Commissioner.

(3A) Where any amount has been deposited wrongly or in excess, by a dealer and it is found that such amount is not payable or has been deposited in excess of the amount payable by the dealer for the tax period mentioned in the challan, the Commissioner or any officer as authorised by the Commissioner in this behalf shall direct the assessing authority to grant refund of the said amount in the manner as prescribed.

(4) Where refund of any amount becomes due to a dealer, he shall be entitled to receive, in addition to the amount of refund, simple interest at such rate as may be notified by the State Government with effect from 1st April of the year immediately following the year to which it relates upto the date of payment:

Provided that where the dealer has paid any amount of tax after the closing of the year and such amount is required to be refunded, no interest shall be payable for the period prior to the date of the deposit of such amount.

(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section or in any other law for the time being in force, only the dealer or the person, who has actually suffered the incidence of tax or has paid the amount, can claim a refund and the burden of proving the incidence of tax so suffered or the amount so paid shall be on the dealer or the person claiming the refund.