76.30 Confidentiality provisions.

(1) Divulging information. Except as provided in sub. (2), no person may divulge or circulate or offer to obtain, divulge or circulate any information provided by a company taxed under this subchapter, except a company taxed under s. 76.28, to the department, including information which may be furnished by the department as provided in this section. This subsection does not prohibit publication by any newspaper of information lawfully derived from that information for purposes of argument or prohibit any public speaker from referring to such information in any address. This subsection does not prohibit the department from publishing statistics classified so as not to disclose the identity of particular taxpayers. This subsection does not prohibit employees or agents of the department from offering or submitting any return, claim, schedule, exhibit, writing or audit report or a copy of, and any information derived from, any of those documents as evidence into the record of any contested matter involving the department in proceedings or litigation on state tax matters if that evidence has reasonable probative value.

(2) Persons qualified to examine returns for specified purposes. Subject to sub. (3) and to rules of the department, any information under sub. (1) is open to examination by only the following persons and the contents thereof may be divulged or used only as follows:

(a) The secretary of revenue or any officer, agent or employee of the department.

(b) The attorney general and department of justice employees.

(c) Members of any legislative committee on organization or its authorized agents provided the examination is approved by a majority vote of a quorum of its members and the tax return or claim information is disclosed only in a meeting closed to the public. The committee may disclose information to the senate or assembly or to other legislative committees if the information does not disclose the identity of particular returns, claims or reports and the items thereof. The department shall provide assistance to the committees or their authorized agents in order to identify returns and claims deemed necessary by them to accomplish the review and analysis of tax policy.

(d) Public officers of the federal government or other state governments or the authorized agents of such officers, where necessary in the administration of the tax laws of such governments, to the extent that such government accords similar rights of examination or information to officials of this state.

(e) The person who filed or submitted the information, or to whom the information relates or by the person's authorized agent or attorney.

(f) Any person examining information pursuant to a court order duly obtained upon a showing to the court that the information is relevant to a pending court action or pursuant to a subpoena signed by a judge of a court of record ordering the department's custodian of returns or claims to produce information in open court in a court action pending before the judge.

(g) Employees of the legislative fiscal bureau to the extent that the department considers the examination necessary for those employees to perform their duties under contracts or agreements between the department and the bureau relating to the review and analysis of tax policy and the analysis of state revenue collections.

(h) Employees and members of the public service commission, and employees of the department of transportation, to the extent that the department of revenue considers the examination necessary for those members and employees to perform their duties.

(i) The secretary of revenue and employees of that department for the purposes of preparing and maintaining the list of persons with unpaid tax obligations as described in s. 73.03 (62) so that the list of such persons is available for public inspection.

(j) An assessor employed by a local unit of government if the department determines that providing the information is necessary to verify whether real or personal property located in a taxing jurisdiction is subject to the taxes and fees imposed under this subchapter or to general local property taxes.

(3) Restriction on use of information. The use of information obtained under sub. (2) is restricted to the discharge of duties imposed upon the persons by law or by the duties of their office or by order of a court as provided under sub. (2) (f).

(4) Charge for costs. The department may charge for the reasonable cost of divulging information under this section.

(5) District attorneys. District attorneys may examine information under sub. (1) as follows:

(a) Such information may be examined for use in preparation for any judicial proceeding or any investigation which may result in a judicial proceeding involving the taxes under this subchapter if any of the following applies:

1. The taxpayer is or may be a party to such proceeding.

2. The treatment of an item reflected in such information is or may be related to the resolution of an issue in the proceeding or investigation.

3. The information relates or may relate to a transactional relationship between the taxpayer and a person who is or may be a party to the proceeding which affects or may affect the resolution of an issue in such proceeding or investigation.

(b) When the department allows examination of information under par. (a):

1. If the department has referred the case to a district attorney, the department may make disclosure on its own motion.

2. If a district attorney requests examination of information relating to a person, the request must be in writing, clearly identify the requester and the person to whom the information relates and explain the need for the information. The department may then allow the examination of information so requested and the information may be examined and used solely for the proceeding or investigation for which it was requested.

(c) Such information may be examined for use in preparation for any administrative or judicial proceeding or an investigation which may result in such proceeding pertaining to the enforcement of a specifically designated state criminal statute not involving tax administration to which this state or a governmental subdivision thereof is a party. Such information may be used solely for the proceeding or investigation for which it is requested.

(d) The department may allow an examination of information under par. (c) only if a district attorney petitions a court of record in this state for an order allowing the examination and the court issues an order after finding all of the following:

1. There is reasonable cause to believe, based on information believed to be reliable, that a specific criminal act has been committed.

2. There is reason to believe that such information is probative evidence of a matter in issue related to the commission of the criminal act.

3. The information sought to be examined cannot reasonably be obtained from any other source, unless it is determined that, notwithstanding the reasonable availability of the information from another source, the information constitutes the most probative evidence of a matter in issue relating to the commission of such criminal act.

(e) If the department determines that examination of information ordered under par. (d) would identify a confidential informant or seriously impair a civil or criminal tax investigation, the department may deny access and shall certify the reason therefor to the court.

History: 1991 a. 39; 2005 a. 25; 2015 a. 216.