Section 48650.5.

(a) Any person who has made a payment pursuant to Section 48650 on lubricating oil exempted from payment pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 48650, and the payment was made either directly to the board, or indirectly to a vendor from whom it was purchased, by the adding of the amount of the payment to the price of the lubricating oil, shall be reimbursed and repaid the amount of the payment made on that oil, except as otherwise provided in this section.

(b) The claimant of a refund shall present to the board a claim supported by the original invoice showing the purchase. The claim shall state the total amount of the lubricating oil purchased by the claimant and the manner and the equipment in which the claimant has used the lubricating oil. The claim shall not be under oath but shall contain, or be accompanied by, a written declaration that it is made under the penalty of perjury.

(c) The board, upon the presentation of the claim and the invoice, shall pay the claimant from the payments collected under Section 48650 an amount equal to the payments collected on the lubricating oil in respect to which the refund is claimed.

(d) Any person who willfully makes or subscribes to a claim for refund under this section which the person does not believe to be true and correct as to every material matter is guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof shall be subject to the penalties prescribed for perjury by the Penal Code. All applications for refund under this section based upon the exportation of lubricating oil from this state shall be filed with the board within the three months after the close of the calendar month in which the lubricating oil is exported or 13 months from the date of the purchase of the lubricating oil, whichever is later. Any application filed after the prescribed time shall not be considered by the board or any other agency or officer of the state for any purpose.

(e) In lieu of the collection and refund of the payment on lubricating oil used by a manufacturer in a manner that entitles a purchaser to claim a refund under this section, the board may give a credit to the manufacturer upon the filing of a return and the determination of the amount of the fee.

(f) In lieu of the collection and refund of the payment on lubricating oil exported by a licensed manufacturer for use outside the state in a manner that entitles a manufacturer to claim a refund pursuant to this section, the board may give a credit to the distributor upon his or her payment return and the determination of the amount of his or her payment, in accordance with such rules and regulations as the board may prescribe.

(g) When an amount represented by a person to a customer as constituting reimbursement for fees due under this chapter is computed upon an amount that is not subject to that fee, or is in excess of that fee amount due, and is actually paid by the customer to the person, the amount so paid shall be returned by the person to the customer, upon notification by the board or by the customer that the excess has been ascertained. If the person fails or refuses to return that amount, the person shall remit to the board the amount so paid, if the amount was knowingly or mistakenly computed by the person upon an amount that is not subject to the fee, or is in excess of the fee due.

(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 822, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1996.)