9-356.

Returns, reports, and records; disclosure; limitations; violation; penalty.

(1) Except in accordance with a proper judicial order or as otherwise provided by this section or other law, it shall be a Class I misdemeanor for the Tax Commissioner or any employee or agent of the Tax Commissioner to make known, in any manner whatsoever, the contents of any tax return or any reports or records submitted by a licensed distributor or manufacturer or the contents of any personal history reports submitted by any licensee or license applicant to the department pursuant to the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act and any rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to such act.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit (a) the delivery to a taxpayer, licensee, or his or her duly authorized representative or his or her successors, receivers, trustees, executors, administrators, assignees, or guarantors, if directly interested, a certified copy of any tax return or report or record, (b) the publication of statistics so classified as to prevent the identification of particular tax returns or reports or records, (c) the inspection by the Attorney General, a county attorney, or other legal representative of the state of tax returns or reports or records submitted by a licensed distributor or manufacturer when information on the tax returns or reports or records is considered by the Attorney General, county attorney, or other legal representative to be relevant to any action or proceeding instituted by the taxpayer or licensee or against whom an action or proceeding is being considered or has been commenced by any state agency or county, (d) the furnishing of any information to the United States Government or to states allowing similar privileges to the Tax Commissioner, (e) the disclosure of information and records to a collection agency contracting with the Tax Commissioner for the collection of delinquent taxes under the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act, (f) the publication or disclosure of final administrative opinions and orders made by the Tax Commissioner in the adjudication of license denials, suspensions, cancellations, or revocations or the levying of fines, (g) the release of any application, without the contents of any submitted personal history report or social security number, filed with the department to obtain a license to conduct activities under the act, which shall be deemed a public record, (h) the release of any report filed pursuant to section 9-349 or any other report filed by a licensed organization, sales agent, or pickle card operator pursuant to the act, which shall be deemed a public record, or (i) the notification of an applicant, a licensee, or a licensee's duly authorized representative of the existence of and the grounds for any administrative action to deny the license application of, to revoke, cancel, or suspend the license of, or to levy an administrative fine upon any agent or employee of the applicant, the licensee, or any other person upon whom the applicant or licensee relies to conduct activities authorized by the act.

(3) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Tax Commissioner or any employee or agent of the Tax Commissioner from making known the names of persons, firms, or corporations licensed to conduct activities under the act, the locations at which such activities are conducted by license holders, or the dates on which such licenses were issued.

(4) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, the Tax Commissioner may permit the Postal Inspector of the United States Postal Service or his or her delegates to inspect a tax return or reports or records submitted by a licensed distributor or manufacturer pursuant to the act when information on the returns or reports or records is relevant to any action or proceeding instituted or being considered by the United States Postal Service against such person for the fraudulent use of the mails to carry and deliver false and fraudulent tax returns to the Tax Commissioner with the intent to defraud the State of Nebraska or to evade the payment of Nebraska state taxes.

(5) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, the Tax Commissioner may permit other tax officials of this state to inspect a tax return or reports or records submitted pursuant to the act, but such inspection shall be permitted only for purposes of enforcing a tax law and only to the extent and under the conditions prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Tax Commissioner.