Section 44 · Forfeiture of tax collected in violation of this Act

(1) Any amount collected, by any person in contravention of the provisions of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 43 or any amount collected by any person by way of tax, by whatever name called, or in any other manner not payable under any provision of this Act, shall be liable to forfeiture to the State Government.

(2) If the prescribed authority, in the course of any proceeding under this Act or otherwise, has reason to believe that any amount is liable for forfeiture under sub-section (1), it shall serve, on the person who has collected such amount, a notice in the prescribed form requiring him to show cause why the said amount should not be forfeited to the State Government and on receipt of the reply, if any, and after making such inquiries as may be deemed fit, he shall make an order of forfeiture if the amount is found so liable.

(3) Where an order of forfeiture under sub-section (2) has been made, the person making the unauthorised collection shall forthwith pay the amount so forfeited to the State Government, if it has not already been paid and on his failure to do so, such amount shall be recoverable from him as if it were a tax due from him.

(4) Where an order for forfeiture is passed, the Commissioner shall publish or cause to be published, in the prescribed manner, a notice for information of the persons from whom the amount so forfeited had been collected giving such details as may be prescribed.

(5) On the publication of the notice under sub-section (4) a refund of such amount or part thereof may be claimed from the State Government within one year from the date of publication of the said notice by the person from whom it was unauthorisedly realised by way of tax and for this purpose the person claiming the refund shall make an application in the prescribed form.

(6) On receipt of an application under sub-section (5), the Commissioner shall hold such enquiry as he deems fit and if he is satisfied that the claim is valid and admissible and that the amount so claimed as refund was actually paid to the State Government and no refund or remission in respect of that amount was granted, the Commissioner shall refund such amount or any part thereof to the person concerned.

(7) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in any other law for the time being in force, where any amount collected by any person is forfeited to the State Government under this section, such forfeiture shall, if the amount forfeited has been paid to the State Government, discharge him of the liability to refund the amount to the person from whom it was so collected.