§ 1296. Secrecy of returns and reports. (a) Except in accordance with proper judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, it shall be unlawful for the commissioner, any officer or employee of the department, any person engaged or retained by the department on an independent contract basis, or any person who in any manner may acquire knowledge of the contents of a return or report filed with the commissioner pursuant to this article, to divulge or make known in any manner any particulars set forth or disclosed in any such return or report. The officers charged with the custody of such returns and reports shall not be required to produce any of them or evidence of anything contained in them in any action or proceeding in any court, except on behalf of the commissioner in an action or proceeding under the provisions of this chapter or in any other action or proceeding involving the collection of a state assessment fee due under this article to which the state or the commissioner is a party or a claimant, or on behalf of any party to any action, proceeding or hearing under the provisions of this article when the returns, reports or facts shown thereby are directly involved in such action, proceeding or hearing, in any of which events the court, or in the case of a hearing, the division of tax appeals may require the production of, and may admit into evidence, so much of said returns, reports or of the facts shown thereby, as are pertinent to the action, proceeding or hearing and no more. The commissioner or the division of tax appeals may, nevertheless, publish a copy or a summary of any decision rendered after a hearing required by this article. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the delivery to a person who has filed a return or report or to such person's duly authorized representative of a certified copy of any return or report filed in connection with such person's state assessment fee. Nor shall anything in this section be construed to prohibit the publication of statistics so classified as to prevent the identification of particular returns or reports and the items thereof, or the inspection by the attorney general or other legal representatives of the state of the return or report of any person required to pay the state assessment fee who shall bring action to review the state assessment fee based thereon, or against whom an action or proceeding under this chapter has been recommended by the commissioner or the attorney general or has been instituted, or the inspection of the returns or reports required under this article by the comptroller or duly designated officer or employee of the state department of audit and control, for purposes of the audit of a refund of any state assessment fee paid by a person required to pay the state assessment fee under this article. Provided, further, nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the disclosure, in such manner as the commissioner deems appropriate, of the names and other appropriate identifying information of those persons required to pay state assessment fee under this article.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section, the commissioner, in his or her discretion, may require or permit any or all persons liable for any state assessment fee imposed by this article, to make payment to banks, banking houses or trust companies designated by the commissioner and to file returns with such banks, banking houses or trust companies as agents of the commissioner, in lieu of paying any such state assessment fee directly to the commissioner. However, the commissioner shall designate only such banks, banking houses or trust companies as are already designated by the comptroller as depositories pursuant to section twelve hundred eighty-eight of this chapter.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section, the commissioner may permit the secretary of the treasury of the United States or such secretary's delegate, or the authorized representative of either such officer, to inspect any return filed under this article, or may furnish to such officer or such officer's authorized representative an abstract of any such return or supply such person with information concerning an item contained in any such return, or disclosed by any investigation of liability under this article, but such permission shall be granted or such information furnished only if the laws of the United States grant substantially similar privileges to the commissioner or officer of this state charged with the administration of the state assessment fee imposed by this article, and only if such information is to be used for purposes of tax administration only; and provided further the commissioner may furnish to the commissioner of internal revenue or such commissioner's authorized representative such returns filed under this article and other tax information, as such commissioner may consider proper, for use in court actions or proceedings under the internal revenue code, whether civil or criminal, where a written request therefor has been made to the commissioner by the secretary of the treasury of the United States or such secretary's delegate, provided the laws of the United States grant substantially similar powers to the secretary of the treasury of the United States or his or her delegate. Where the commissioner has so authorized use of returns and other information in such actions or proceedings, officers and employees of the department may testify in such actions or proceedings in respect to such returns or other information.

(d) Returns and reports filed under this article shall be preserved for three years and thereafter until the commissioner orders them to be destroyed.

(e) (1) Any officer or employee of the state who willfully violates the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section shall be dismissed from office and be incapable of holding any public office for a period of five years thereafter.

(2) Cross-reference: For criminal penalties, see article thirty-seven of this chapter.

(f) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section, upon written request from the chairperson of the committee on ways and means of the United States House of Representatives, the chairperson of the committee on finance of the United States Senate, or the chairperson of the joint committee on taxation of the United States Congress, the commissioner shall furnish such committee with any current or prior year returns or reports specified in such request that were filed under this article by the president of the United States, vice-president of the United States, member of the United States Congress representing New York state, or any person who served in or was employed by the executive branch of the government of the United States on the executive staff of the president, in the executive office of the president, or in an acting or confirmed capacity in a position subject to confirmation by the United States senate; or, in New York state: a statewide elected official, as defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of § 73-a of the public officers law; a state officer or employee, as defined in subparagraph (i) of paragraph (c) of subdivision one of such section seventy-three-a; a political party chairperson, as defined in paragraph (h) of subdivision one of such section seventy-three-a; a local elected official, as defined in subdivisions one and two of § 810 of the general municipal law; a person appointed, pursuant to law, to serve due to vacancy or otherwise in the position of a local elected official, as defined in subdivisions one and two of § 810 of the general municipal law; a member of the state legislature; or a judge or justice of the unified court system; or filed by a partnership, firm, association, corporation, joint-stock company, trust or similar entity directly or indirectly controlled by any individual listed in this paragraph, whether by contract, through ownership or control of a majority interest in such entity, or otherwise, or filed by a partnership, firm, association, corporation, joint-stock company, trust or similar entity of which any individual listed in this paragraph holds ten percent or more of the voting securities of such entity; provided however that, prior to furnishing any return or report, the commissioner shall redact any copy of a federal return (or portion thereof) attached to, or any information on a federal return that is reflected on, such return or report, and any social security numbers, account numbers and residential address information.

(2) No returns or reports shall be furnished pursuant to this subdivision unless the chairperson of the requesting committee certifies in writing that such returns or reports have been requested related to, and in furtherance of, a legitimate task of the Congress, that the requesting committee has made a written request to the United States secretary of the treasury for related federal returns or reports or return or report information, pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6103(f), and that if such requested returns or reports are inspected by and/or submitted to another committee, to the United States House of Representatives, or to the United States Senate, then such inspection and/or submission shall occur in a manner consistent with federal law as informed by the requirements and procedures established in 26 U.S.C. § 6103(f).