§ 1299-F. 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 tax due under this chapter to which the state, the commissioner or an agency that is authorized to permit or regulate the provision of any relevant transportation 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 or the reports or the 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 in evidence so much of said returns or reports or of the facts shown thereby as are pertinent to the action or proceeding and no more. Nothing herein shall be construed, however, to prohibit the commissioner, in his or her discretion, from allowing the inspection or delivery of a certified copy of any return or report filed under this article, or from providing any information contained in any such return or report, by or to a duly authorized officer or employee of the comptroller; nor to prohibit the inspection or delivery of a certified copy of any return or report filed under this article, or the provision of any information contained therein, by or to the attorney general or other legal representatives of the state when an action shall have been recommended or commenced pursuant to this chapter in which such returns or reports or the facts shown thereby are directly involved; nor to prohibit the commissioner from providing or certifying to the division of budget or the comptroller the total number of returns or reports filed under this article in any reporting period and the total collections received therefrom; nor to prohibit the delivery to a person liable for the surcharge imposed by this article, or a duly authorized representative of such, a certified copy of any return or report filed by such person pursuant to this article, nor to prohibit the publication of statistics so classified as to prevent the identification of particular returns or reports and the items thereof; nor 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 the surcharge imposed by this article.

(b) 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 surcharge 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.

(c) (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.

(d) (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 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, 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, and any social security numbers, account numbers and residential address information.

(2) No returns shall be furnished pursuant to this subdivision unless the chairperson of the requesting committee certifies in writing that such returns 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 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).

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section, the commissioner may, in his or her discretion, permit the proper officer of the taxi and limousine commission of the city of New York (TLC) or the duly authorized representative of 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 tax liability under this article; but such permission shall be granted or such information furnished only if the TLC shall have furnished the commissioner with all information requested by the commissioner pursuant to this article and shall have permitted the commissioner or the commissioner's authorized representative to make any inspection of any records or reports concerning for-hire transportation trips subject to the surcharge imposed by this article, and any persons required to collect such surcharge, filed with or possessed by the TLC that the commissioner may have requested from the TLC. Provided, further, that the commissioner may disclose to the TLC whether or not a person liable for the surcharge imposed by this article has paid all of the surcharges due under this article as of any given date.