(a)        Information obtained by the Department in the course of administering the tax imposed by this Article, including information on whether the Department has issued a revenue stamp to a person, is confidential tax information and is subject to the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-259

(b)        Information obtained by the Department from the taxpayer in the course of administering the tax imposed by this Article, including information on whether the Department has issued a revenue stamp to a person, may not be used as evidence, as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-971, by a prosecutor in a criminal prosecution of the taxpayer for an offense related to the manufacturing, possession, transportation, distribution, or sale of the unauthorized substance. Under this prohibition, no officer, employee, or agent of the Department may testify about this information in a criminal prosecution of the taxpayer for an offense related to the manufacturing, possession, transportation, distribution, or sale of the unauthorized substance. This subsection implements the protections against double jeopardy and self-incrimination set out in Amendment V of the United States Constitution and the restrictions in it apply regardless of whether information may be disclosed under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-259 An officer, employee, or agent of the Department who provides evidence or testifies in violation of this subdivision is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. ?(1989, c. 772, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 702; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1997, c. 292, s. 1; 2005-435, s. 27; 2008-134, s. 68(a); 2013-414, s. 21.)