Suppose that Hickory Manufacturing, Inc., a corporation headquartered in North Carolina, believes that it is entitled to a $24,700 federal tax refund, and that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has wrongfully refused to issue the refund. If Hickory Manufacturing elects to sue the United States (the IRS is a federal administrative agency) to recover the refund, it must pursue the matter:

A. in federal court, since the United States is a party to the litigation.

B. in North Carolina state court, since the company is headquartered in North Carolina.

C. through binding arbitration, non-binding arbitration, or mediation, since the United States has governmental immunity in the court system (although it does allow claims against the federal government to be pursued via alternate dispute resolution).

D. in United States Tax Court, since the dispute involves a tax matter.

If Hickory Manufacturing elects to sue the United States (the IRS is a federal administrative agency) to recover the refund, it must pursue the matter:

D. in United States Tax Court, since the dispute involves a tax matter.

Explanation:

The United States Tax Court is the federal trial court of record for tax disputes. It is like a tribunal, which is inferior to the Supreme Court. It was established by Congress, under Article I of the Constitution in 1969, to hear tax matters and adjudicate tax disputes. Appeals are made directly, from this court, to the appeal court, before the matter can be dragged to the US Supreme Court.