When a taxpayer prevails on the merits in a lawsuit seeking a refund or abatement of a license fee or a tax based upon an allegation that the tax or fee has been imposed wrongfully as a matter of law, the department shall issue a refund to similarly situated taxpayers who properly applied for a refund pursuant to the requirements of this chapter. A taxpayer is considered to have prevailed on the merits in a lawsuit only when a tax or license fee is refunded or abated as a result of a finding of law by a court of competent jurisdiction, and after the exhaustion of, or expiration of, the time for making relevant appeals. A taxpayer must not be considered similarly situated if the taxpayer did not file a claim for refund within the period provided in Section 12-54-85.
S.C. Code § 12-60-480