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Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC


Published: 2015-07-09

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Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC

DIVISION 2. OTHER TAXES [6001 - 60709]

  ( Heading of Division 2 amended by Stats. 1968, Ch. 279. )

PART 10.2. ADMINISTRATION OF FRANCHISE AND INCOME TAX LAWS [18401 - 19802]

  ( Part 10.2 added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. )

CHAPTER 7. Administration of Tax [19501 - 19592]

  ( Chapter 7 added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. )
ARTICLE 2. Disclosure of Information [19542 - 19572]
  ( Article 2 added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. )

19542.  

Except as otherwise provided in this article and as required to administer subdivision (b) of Section 19005, it is a misdemeanor for the Franchise Tax Board or any member thereof, or any deputy, agent, clerk, or other officer or employee of the state (including its political subdivisions), or any former officer or employee or other individual, who in the course of his or her employment or duty has or had access to returns, reports, or documents required to be filed under this part, to disclose or make known in any manner information as to the amount of income or any particulars (including the business affairs of a corporation) set forth or disclosed therein.

(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 605, Sec. 40. Effective January 1, 1998.)

19542.1.  

(a) Except as otherwise provided by this article, it shall be unlawful for any person described in Section 19542 to willfully inspect any confidential information furnished or secured pursuant to this part, Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), or Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001). For purposes of this section, “inspection” means any examination of confidential information. Any willful unauthorized inspection or unwarranted disclosure or use of confidential information by the persons described in Section 19542 is a misdemeanor.

(b) The Franchise Tax Board shall notify a taxpayer of any known incidents of willful unauthorized inspection or unwarranted disclosure or use of his or her confidential tax records, but only if criminal charges have been filed for the willful unauthorized inspection or unwarranted disclosure.

(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 623, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1999.)

19542.3.  

Any person who willfully divulges or makes known software, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 19504.5, to any person in violation of Section 19504.5 is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or in the state prison, at the discretion of the court, by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court, together with the costs of investigation and prosecution.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 347, Sec. 18. Effective January 1, 2007.)

19543.  

(a) “Business affairs,” as used in this article means the details relative to the business activities of the entity as disclosed by the return but shall exclude extraneous matters, such as the exact corporate title, corporate number, the date of commencement of business in this state, taxable year adopted, filing date of return, name, date and title of individuals signing affidavit to the return, due date of taxes, taxes unpaid, entity’s address, private address of officers and directors.

(b) Extraneous matters shall not be disclosed unless the request for the information states the names of the entities as to which information is desired and only if there is no reason to believe that the information will be used for commercial list purposes.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19544.  

Nothing in Section 19542, or in any other provision of law, shall be construed to require the disclosure of standards used or to be used for the selection of returns for examination, or data used or to be used for determining those standards, if the Franchise Tax Board determines that the disclosure will seriously impair assessment, collection, or enforcement under this part.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19545.  

A return or return information may be disclosed in a judicial or administrative proceeding pertaining to tax administration, if any of the following apply:

(a) The taxpayer is a party to the proceeding, or the proceeding arose out of, or in connection with, determining the taxpayer’s civil or criminal liability, or the collection of the taxpayer’s civil liability with respect to any tax imposed under this part.

(b) The treatment of an item reflected on the return is directly related to the resolution of an issue in the proceeding.

(c) The return or return information directly relates to a transactional relationship between a person who is a party to the proceeding and the taxpayer which directly affects the resolution of an issue in the proceeding.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19546.  

Upon request of a committee appointed by either the Assembly or the Senate, or both, any information may be furnished to the committee, but it is a misdemeanor for the committee or any member, clerk, or other officer or employee thereof to disclose in any manner any particulars of the information so furnished except to law enforcement officers for the purpose of aiding the detection or prosecution of crimes committed in violation of this part.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19546.5.  

Any person who otherwise has or had access to any return or return information may disclose the return or return information to a committee appointed by the Assembly or Senate, or both, or any member, clerk, or other officer or employee thereof, if the person believes the return or return information may relate to possible board misconduct, maladministration, or taxpayer abuse.

(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 931, Sec. 31. Effective October 10, 1999.)

19547.  

In a matter involving tax administration under this part, a return or return information shall be open to inspection by the Attorney General or other legal representatives of the state, if any of the following apply:

(a) The taxpayer is or may be a party to the proceeding, or the proceeding arose out of, or in connection with, determining the taxpayer’s civil or criminal liability, or the collection of the taxpayer’s civil liability with respect to any tax imposed under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001).

(b) The treatment of an item reflected on the return is or may be related to the resolution of an issue in the proceeding or investigation.

(c) The return or return information relates or may relate to a transactional relationship between a person who is a party to the proceeding and the taxpayer, which affects or may affect, the resolution of an issue in the proceeding or investigation.

In addition, the Attorney General may inspect any report or return required under this part when required in the enforcement of any public or charitable trust or in compelling adherence to any charitable purposes for which any nonprofit corporation is formed.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19547.5.  

(a) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of law, the Franchise Tax Board shall make available to the Attorney General a list of retail sellers and manufacturers required to disclose efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking pursuant to Section 1714.43 of the Civil Code. The list shall be based on tax returns filed for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011.

(2) Each list required by this section shall be submitted annually to the Attorney General by November 30, 2012, and each November 30 thereafter. The list shall be derived from original tax returns received by the Franchise Tax Board on or before December 31, 2011, and each December 31 thereafter.

(b) Each annual list required by this section shall include the following information for each retail seller or manufacturer:

(1) Entity name.

(2) California identification number.

(Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 556, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2011.)

19548.  

(a) The Franchise Tax Board, upon request by the California Parent Locator Service, may disclose to the California Parent Locator Service, pursuant to Section 17505 or 17506 of the Family Code, any taxpayer return information that may be of assistance in locating alleged abducting or absent parents, spouses, or former spouses, in enforcing their liability for child support or the liability for spousal support, in establishing a parent and child relationship, and in locating and returning abducted children to their parents.

(b) Information disclosed to the California Parent Locator Service pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be disseminated by the California Parent Locator Service only as provided for by, and only for the purposes specified in, Section 17505 or 17506 of the Family Code.

(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 478, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2000.)

19548.2.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other law and in accordance with Section 120962 of the Health and Safety Code, the State Department of Public Health shall disclose the name and individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) or social security number of an applicant for, or recipient of services pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 120950) of Part 4 of Division 105 of the Health and Safety Code to the Franchise Tax Board for the purpose of verifying the adjusted gross income of, any tax-exempt interest received by, any tax-exempt social security benefits received by, and any foreign earned income of an applicant or recipient.

(b) (1) The Franchise Tax Board, upon receipt of this information, shall inform the State Department of Public Health of all of the following:

(A) The amounts of the federal adjusted gross income as reported by the taxpayer to the Franchise Tax Board.

(B) The amounts of the California adjusted gross income as reported by the taxpayer to the Franchise Tax Board or as adjusted by the Franchise Tax Board.

(C) The amount of any tax-exempt interest received by the taxpayer, as reported to the Franchise Tax Board.

(D) The amount of any tax-exempt social security benefits received by the taxpayer, as reported to the Franchise Tax Board.

(E) The amount of any foreign earned income of the taxpayer, as reported to the Franchise Tax Board.

(2) The Franchise Tax Board shall provide the information to the State Department of Public Health for the most recent taxable year that the Franchise Tax Board has information available, and shall include the first and last name, date of birth, and the ITIN or social security number of the taxpayer.

(c) (1) Information provided by the State Department of Public Health pursuant to this section shall constitute confidential public health records as defined in Section 121035 of the Health and Safety Code, and shall remain subject to the confidentiality protections and restrictions on further disclosure by the recipient under subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 121025.

(2) Prior to accessing confidential HIV-related public health records, Franchise Tax Board staff and contractors shall be required to annually sign a confidentiality agreement developed by the State Department of Public Health that includes information related to the penalties under Section 121025 of the Health and Safety Code for a breach of confidentiality and the procedures for reporting a breach of confidentiality under subdivision (h) of Section 121022 of the Health and Safety Code. Those agreements shall be reviewed annually by the State Department of Public Health.

(3) The Franchise Tax Board shall return or destroy all information received from the State Department of Public Health after completing the exchange of information.

(d) For purposes of this section, “foreign earned income” also includes any deduction taken for the housing expenses of an individual while living abroad pursuant to Section 911 of Title 26 of the Internal Revenue Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 18, Sec. 26. Effective June 24, 2015.)

19548.5.  

(a) (1) The Franchise Tax Board may, upon request, disclose to the California Health Benefit Exchange, the State Department of Health Care Services, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, and county departments and agencies, returns or return information described in paragraph (2) in the records of the Franchise Tax Board, through information sharing agreements or data interfaces, to verify or determine eligibility of an individual for Medi-Cal benefits, the Healthy Families Program, the Access for Infants and Mothers Program, health benefits, tax credits, health insurance subsidies, or cost-sharing reductions through the Exchange.

(2) The returns and return information that may be disclosed pursuant to this section is limited to the following:

(A) Information necessary to validate or make the eligibility determination, including wages, withholdings, identifying information, and credits.

(B) The demographic information of any taxpayer.

(C) Tax refund information of any taxpayer.

(3) In addition to the penalties under this article for unauthorized use or disclosure of the information disclosed pursuant to this section by any deputy, agent, clerk, officer, or employee of any agency receiving information pursuant to this section, any information received from the Franchise Tax Board as a result of this section shall be subject to the information sharing and confidentiality requirements in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 100504 of the Government Code.

(b) (1) This section shall not be construed to supersede the requirements and protections in the California Right to Financial Privacy Act under Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 7460) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code in obtaining information in possession of any financial institution.

(2) This section shall not be construed to supersede or replace or in any way modify any privacy and information security requirements and protections in federal and state law regarding protected health information or personally identifiable information, including, but not limited to, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Information Practices Act of 1977 (Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1798) of Title 1.8 of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code), Section 14100.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and any other state or federal laws that are intended to, or have the effect of, protecting individual privacy and information security in any circumstance.

(c) The Franchise Tax Board may require reimbursement for costs incurred in providing information specified in this Section.

(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 815, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2013.)

19549.  

For purposes of this article:

(a) “Return” means any tax or information return, or claim for refund required by, or provided for or permitted under, the provisions of Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001), or this part which is filed with the Franchise Tax Board by, on behalf of, or with respect to any person, estate, or trust, and any amendment or supplement thereto, including supporting schedules, attachments, or lists which are supplemental to, or part of, the return so filed.

(b) “Return information” means a taxpayer’s identity, the nature, source, or amount of his, her, or its income, payments, receipts, deductions, exemptions, credits, assets, liabilities, net worth, tax liability, tax withheld, deficiencies, overassessments, or tax payments, whether the taxpayer’s return was, is being, or will be examined or subject to other investigation or processing, or any other data, received by, recorded by, prepared by, furnished to, or collected by the Franchise Tax Board with respect to a return or with respect to the determination of the existence, or possible existence, of liability, or the amount thereof, of any person under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001), or this part for any tax, addition to tax, penalty, interest, fine, forfeiture, or other imposition, or offense.

(c) “Taxpayer return information” means return information as defined in subdivision (b) which is filed with, or furnished to, the Franchise Tax Board by or on behalf of the taxpayer to whom the return information relates.

(d) “Tax administration” means the administration, management, conduct, direction, and supervision of the execution and application of Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), Part 10.7 (commencing with Section 21001), Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001), and this part.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19550.  

(a) Pursuant to Section 817.5 of the Penal Code, the Franchise Tax Board, upon request from the Department of Justice, a court, or any California law enforcement agency and in a form and manner prescribed by the Franchise Tax Board, shall provide to the Department of Justice, the court, or the law enforcement agency the address of any person represented to be a person for whom there is an outstanding arrest warrant.

(b) (1) Pursuant to Section 290.9 of the Penal Code, the Franchise Tax Board shall, upon request from the Department of Justice, provide to the Department of Justice the address of any person represented to be a person who is in violation of his or her duty to register under Section 290 of the Penal Code.

(2) This subdivision shall be operative with respect to requests made on or after January 1, 2005, pursuant to Section 290.9 of the Penal Code, as added by Section 1 of Chapter 127 of the Statutes of 2004.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 349, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2006.)

19551.  

(a) The Franchise Tax Board may permit the Commissioner of Internal Revenue of the United States, other tax officials of this state, the Multistate Tax Commission, the proper officer of any state imposing an income tax or a tax measured by income or the authorized representative of that officer, or the tax officials of Mexico, if a reciprocal agreement exists, to inspect the income tax returns of any taxpayer, or may furnish to the commission, or the officer or the authorized representative thereof an abstract of the return or supply thereto information concerning any item of income contained in any return or disclosed by the report of any investigation of the income or return. The information shall be furnished to the Multistate Tax Commission, the federal or state officer or his or her representative, or the officials of Mexico for tax purposes only. If furnished pursuant to a written agreement, information furnished pursuant to this section shall be furnished only if the request is in the form of an affidavit under penalty of perjury stating that the purpose for the request relates to an investigation of the tax specified in the request and that the information will be used in the ordinary performance of the applicant’s official duties.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) and except as otherwise provided in Section 19551.1, tax officials of political subdivisions of this state shall request information from the Franchise Tax Board by affidavit only. At the time a tax official makes the request, he or she shall provide the affected person with a copy of the affidavit and, upon request, make the information obtained available to that person.

(c) For purposes of this section, “reciprocal agreement” means a formal agreement to exchange information between national taxing officials of Mexico and taxing authorities of the State Board of Equalization, the Franchise Tax Board, and the Employment Development Department. Furthermore, the reciprocal agreement shall be limited to the exchange of information that is essential for tax administration purposes only. Taxing authorities of the State of California shall be granted tax information only on California residents. Taxing authorities of Mexico shall be granted tax information only on Mexican nationals.

(d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019, and as of that date, is repealed.

(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 345, Sec. 1) by Stats. 2013, Ch. 513, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2014. Repealed as of January 1, 2019, by its own provisions. See later operative version, as amended by Sec. 2 of Ch. 513.)

19551.  

(a) The Franchise Tax Board may permit the Commissioner of Internal Revenue of the United States, other tax officials of this state, the Multistate Tax Commission, the proper officer of any state imposing an income tax or a tax measured by income or the authorized representative of that officer, or the tax officials of Mexico, if a reciprocal agreement exists, to inspect the income tax returns of any taxpayer, or may furnish to the commission, or the officer or the authorized representative thereof an abstract of the return or supply thereto information concerning any item of income contained in any return or disclosed by the report of any investigation of the income or return. The information shall be furnished to the Multistate Tax Commission, the federal or state officer or his or her representative, or the officials of Mexico for tax purposes only. Except when furnished pursuant to a written agreement, information furnished pursuant to this section shall be furnished only if the request is in the form of an affidavit under penalty of perjury stating that the purpose for the request relates to an investigation of the tax specified in the request and that the information will be used in the ordinary performance of the applicant’s official duties.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), tax officials of political subdivisions of this state shall request information from the Franchise Tax Board by affidavit only. At the time a tax official makes the request, he or she shall provide the affected person with a copy of the affidavit and, upon request, make the information obtained available to that person.

(c) For purposes of this section, “reciprocal agreement” means a formal agreement to exchange information between national taxing officials of Mexico and taxing authorities of the State Board of Equalization, the Franchise Tax Board, and the Employment Development Department. Furthermore, the reciprocal agreement shall be limited to the exchange of information that is essential for tax administration purposes only. Taxing authorities of the State of California shall be granted tax information only on California residents. Taxing authorities of Mexico shall be granted tax information only on Mexican nationals.

(d) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2019.

(Amended (as added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 345, Sec. 2) by Stats. 2013, Ch. 513, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2014. Section operative January 1, 2019, by its own provisions.)

19551.1.  

(a) (1) The Franchise Tax Board may permit the tax officials of any city to enter into a reciprocal agreement with the Franchise Tax Board to obtain tax information from the Franchise Tax Board, as specified in subdivision (b).

(2) For purposes of this section, “reciprocal agreement” means a formal agreement to exchange information for tax administration purposes between tax officials of a city and the Franchise Tax Board.

(b) The information furnished to tax officials of a city under this section shall be limited as follows:

(1) The tax officials of a city are authorized to receive information only with respect to taxpayers with an address as reflected on the Franchise Tax Board’s records within the jurisdictional boundaries of the city who report income from a trade or business to the Franchise Tax Board.

(2) The tax information that may be provided by the Franchise Tax Board to a city is limited to a taxpayer’s name, address, social security or taxpayer identification number, and business activity code.

(3) Tax information provided to the taxing authority of a city may not be furnished to, or used by, any person other than an employee of that taxing authority and shall be utilized in a form and manner to safeguard the tax information as required by the Franchise Tax Board, including, but not limited to:

(A) The completion of a data exchange security questionnaire provided by the Franchise Tax Board prior to approval of a data exchange by the Franchise Tax Board.

(B) The tax official of a city shall allow for an onsite safeguard review conducted by the Franchise Tax Board.

(C) The completion of disclosure training provided by the Franchise Tax Board and a confidentiality statement signed by all employees with access to information provided by the Franchise Tax Board confirming the requirement of data security with respect to that information and acknowledging awareness of penalties for unauthorized access or disclosure under Sections 19542 and 19552 of this code and Section 502 of the Penal Code.

(D) The tax official of a city shall notify the Franchise Tax Board within 24 hours upon discovery of any incident of unauthorized or suspected unauthorized access or disclosure of the tax information and provide a detailed report of the incident and the parties involved.

(E) All records received by the tax officials of a city shall be destroyed in a manner to make them unusable or unreadable so an individual record may no longer be ascertained in a timeframe specified by the Franchise Tax Board.

(4) The information provided to the tax officials of the city by the Franchise Tax Board under this section is subject to Section 19542, and may not be used for any purpose other than the city’s tax enforcement, or as otherwise authorized by state or federal law.

(5) Section 19542.1 applies to this section.

(c) The Franchise Tax Board may not provide any information pursuant to this section until all of the following have occurred:

(1) An agreement has been executed between a city and the Franchise Tax Board, that provides that an amount equal to all first year costs necessary to furnish the city information pursuant to this section shall be received by the Franchise Tax Board before the Franchise Tax Board incurs any costs associated with the activity permitted by this section. For purposes of this section, first year costs include costs associated with, but not limited to, the purchasing of equipment, the development of processes, and labor.

(2) An agreement has been executed between a city and the Franchise Tax Board, that provides that the annual costs incurred by the Franchise Tax Board, as a result of the activity permitted by this section, shall be reimbursed by the city to the Franchise Tax Board.

(3) Pursuant to the agreement described in paragraph (1), the Franchise Tax Board has received an amount equal to the first year costs.

(d) Any information, other than the type of tax information specified in subdivision (b), may be requested by the tax officials of a city from the Franchise Tax Board by affidavit. At the time a tax official makes the request, he or she shall provide the person whose information is the subject of the request, with a copy of the affidavit and, upon request, make the information obtained available to that person.

(e) This section does not invalidate any other law. This section does not preclude any city or county from obtaining information about individual taxpayers, including those taxpayers not subject to this section, by any other means permitted by state or federal law.

(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect any obligations, rights, or remedies regarding personal information provided under state or federal law.

(g) Notwithstanding subdivision (c), the Franchise Tax Board shall waive a city’s reimbursement of the Franchise Tax Board’s cost if a city enters into a reciprocal agreement as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). The reciprocal agreement shall specify that each party shall bear its own costs to furnish the data involved in the exchange authorized by this section and Section 19551.5, and a city shall be precluded from obtaining reimbursement as specified under Section 5 of the act adding this subdivision.

(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019, and as of that date, is repealed.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 513, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2014. Repealed as of January 1, 2019, by its own provisions.)

19551.5.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, each city that assesses a city business tax or requires a city business license shall, upon the request of the Franchise Tax Board, annually submit to the Franchise Tax Board the information that is collected in the course of administration of the city’s business tax program, as described in subdivision (b).

(b) Information, collected in the course of administration of the city’s business tax program, shall be limited to the following:

(1) Name of the business, if the business is a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company, or the owner’s name if the business is a sole proprietorship.

(2) Business mailing address.

(3) Federal employer identification number, if applicable, or the business owner’s social security number.

(4) Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code or North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code.

(5) Business start date.

(6) Business cease date.

(7) City number.

(8) Ownership type.

(c) The reports required under this section shall be filed on magnetic media such as tapes or compact discs, through a secure electronic process, or in other machine-readable form, according to standards prescribed by regulations promulgated by the Franchise Tax Board.

(d) Cities that receive a request from the Franchise Tax Board shall begin providing to the Franchise Tax Board the information required by this section as soon as economically feasible, but no later than December 31, 2009. The information shall be furnished annually at a time and in the form that the Franchise Tax Board may prescribe by regulation.

(e) The city data provided to the Franchise Tax Board under this section is subject to Section 19542, and may not be used for any purpose other than state tax enforcement or as otherwise authorized by law.

(f) If a city enters into a reciprocal agreement with the Franchise Tax Board pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 19551.1, the city shall also waive reimbursement for costs incurred to provide information required under this section and shall be precluded from obtaining reimbursement as specified under Section 5 of Chapter 345 of the Statutes of 2008. The reciprocal agreement shall specify that each party shall bear its own costs to furnish the data involved in the exchange authorized by Section 19551.1 and this section, and the Franchise Tax Board shall be precluded from obtaining reimbursement as specified under subdivision (c) of Section 19551.1.

(g) A city shall not be required to provide information to the Franchise Tax Board pursuant to this section if the Franchise Tax Board fails to provide tax information to the city pursuant to a reciprocal agreement entered into pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 19551.1 for reasons other than concerns related to confidentiality of tax information provided to the city.

(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019, and as of that date, is repealed.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 513, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2014. Repealed as of January 1, 2019, by its own provisions.)

19552.  

Except as otherwise provided by this article, the information furnished or secured pursuant to either this article or the express provisions of law, shall be used solely for the purpose of administering the tax laws or other laws administered by the person or agency obtaining it. Any unwarranted disclosure or use of the information by the person or agency, or the employees and officers thereof, is a misdemeanor.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19553.  

(a) Subject to the limitations of subdivision (b) of this section and federal law, the Franchise Tax Board may permit the Director of Social Services or deputy directors to inspect the income tax returns of applicants for aid, recipients of aid, or responsible relatives, or in lieu of the inspection, the State Franchise Tax Board may provide the director or deputy directors an abstract of the income tax return requested, or supply information concerning any item of income contained in the return or disclosed by the report of any investigation of the income or return of the applicant for aid, recipient of aid or responsible relative.

(b) The right of the director or deputy directors to inspect income tax records or obtain the other information as provided in this section shall be limited to the records for the current year and the year preceding inspection of applicants or recipients of assistance under Division 9 (commencing with Section 10000) of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and the responsible relatives of the applicants or recipients. The information obtained pursuant to this section shall be used or disclosed only for the purpose of enabling the Director of Social Services or his or her deputy directors to verify or determine the eligibility or entitlement of an applicant for, or recipient of, public social services or the obligation of a responsible relative.

(c) The counties are authorized to request the information as provided in this section from the Director of Social Services or deputy directors. The director may release the information to the director of a county from which the applicant or recipient receives aid and the information shall be used or disclosed by the director of the county only for the purpose specified in subdivision (b).

(d) The applicant or recipient or responsible relative whose income tax records have been requested of the Franchise Tax Board shall be notified by mail that the request has been made at the time of the request.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19554.  

(a) Subject to the limitations of this section and federal law, the Franchise Tax Board may provide the Controller with the address or other identification or location information from income tax returns or other records which is necessary for the Controller to locate owners of unclaimed property pursuant to Title 10 (commencing with Section 1300) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(b) Subject to the limitations of this section and Section 6103(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Franchise Tax Board may provide the Controller, on an annual basis, with the following information from business entity income tax returns or other business entity records maintained by the Franchise Tax Board:

(1) The taxpayer’s name.

(2) The taxpayer’s identification number.

(3) The taxpayer’s address.

(4) The taxpayer’s principal business activity code.

(c) (1) The information provided to the Controller under this section is subject to Section 19542.

(2) Neither the Controller nor any officer, employee, or agent, or former officer, employee, or agent of the Controller may disclose or use any information obtained from the Franchise Tax Board pursuant to this section except for the purpose of locating owners of unclaimed property as provided in subdivision (a), or for the purpose of determining compliance with the Unclaimed Property Law (Title 10 (commencing with Section 1300) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure), as provided in subdivision (b).

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 666, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2008.)

19555.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the State Department of Social Services and the Department of Health Care Services shall inform the Franchise Tax Board of the names and social security numbers of applicants for, or recipients of, public social services programs under Division 9 (commencing with Section 10000) of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(b) The Franchise Tax Board, upon receipt of this information, may inform the departments of any such applicant or recipient who received unearned income within the most recent available tax year, as reflected on magnetic tape information returns supplied to the Franchise Tax Board by payers, or on the magnetic tape prepared by the Franchise Tax Board which reflects paper information returns supplied to the Franchise Tax Board by payers. In addition, the Franchise Tax Board may provide, from those sources, the departments with the payee’s name, social security number, and address; the payer’s name and federal employer identification number, including branch code numbers, if applicable, and address; the dollar amount and type of unearned income; and any identifying account numbers.

(c) The Franchise Tax Board shall return all information received from the departments after completing the exchange of information.

(d) This section shall be implemented only to the extent it is funded in the annual Budget Act.

(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 71, Sec. 165. Effective January 1, 2015.)

19556.  

(a) The Franchise Tax Board may disclose to persons described in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, tax return and return information solely for use in an action or proceeding affecting the personnel rights of an employee or former employee, or in preparation of the action or proceeding, but only to the extent the Franchise Tax Board determines that the return or return information is, or may be, relevant and material to the action or proceeding. Tax return and return information may be disclosed pursuant to this section to any of the following persons:

(1) An employee or former employee of the Franchise Tax Board who is, or may be, a party to an administrative action or proceeding affecting the personnel rights of that employee or former employee.

(2) Upon written request by the employee or former employee, to the employee’s or former employee’s duly authorized legal representative.

(3) Officers and employees of the Franchise Tax Board for use in any action or proceeding affecting the rights of an employee or former employee, to the extent necessary to advance or protect the interests of the State of California.

(4) An administrative law judge, administrative board member, judge, or justice, or authorized officer or employee thereof, in connection with an administrative hearing, adjudication, or appeal thereof, related to an action or proceeding affecting the personnel rights of an employee or former employee.

(b) For purposes of this section, an action or proceeding affecting the personnel rights of an employee or former employee of the Franchise Tax Board means an action proceeding arising under either of the following:

(1) The State Civil Service Act (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18500) of Division 5 of the Government Code).

(2) The Ralph C. Dills Act (Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 3512) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(c) Any unauthorized disclosure by a person described in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of any tax return or return information disclosed to that person pursuant to this section shall be subject to criminal penalty and civil liability under this part for that unauthorized disclosure.

(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 920, Sec. 26. Effective January 1, 2002.)

19557.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the California Student Aid Commission may annually inform the Franchise Tax Board of the names and social security numbers of the following persons who have, as part of the Student Aid Application for California, signed an authorization in a form and manner mutually agreeable to the Franchise Tax Board and the California Student Aid Commission for the release by the Franchise Tax Board of tax information to the California Student Aid Commission:

(1) All applicants for, or recipients of, student financial aid.

(2) Parents of dependent applicants for, or recipients of, student financial aid.

(3) Spouses of applicants for, or recipients of, student financial aid.

(b) The California Student Aid Commission shall submit the names and social security numbers as authorized in subdivision (a) in the form and manner prescribed by the Franchise Tax Board.

(c) Upon receipt of this information, the Franchise Tax Board may provide the California Student Aid Commission, from state tax returns of individuals described in subdivision (a), their California adjusted gross income and the California income adjustments as are necessary to calculate their federal adjusted gross income, or any other information from their state tax return, that can be provided by the Franchise Tax Board through its automated process, that the California Student Aid Commission needs to administer the program for which the authorization was given.

(d) All versions of the Student Aid Application for California shall include the authorization described in subdivision (a). The Franchise Tax Board may from time to time audit these authorizations. All processors of the Student Aid Application for California shall provide the Franchise Tax Board with access to any records necessary for completing these audits. The Franchise Tax Board shall report all audit findings to the California Student Aid Commission.

(e) Any unwarranted disclosure or use of the tax information described in subdivision (c) by the California Student Aid Commission, or its employees and officers thereof, is a misdemeanor as provided in Section 19552.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19558.  

(a) Subject to the limitations of this section and federal law, the Franchise Tax Board may provide the Public Employees’ Retirement System with the names and addresses or other identification or location information from income tax returns or other records required under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or this part, for both of the following:

(1) Solely for the purposes of disbursing unclaimed benefits pursuant to Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 21250) and Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 21490) of Part 3 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code and distributing member statements on an annual basis.

(2) Until June 30, 2016, solely for the purpose of filing required data pursuant to the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (Sec. 1102, Public Law 111-148; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 18002), Part 149 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and related departmental directives.

(b) Neither the Public Employees’ Retirement System, nor its agents, nor any of its current or former officers or employees, shall disclose or use any information obtained pursuant to this section except as provided in this section. Any disclosure not authorized by this section is a misdemeanor.

(c) The Franchise Tax Board may from time to time review the use of information provided to the Public Employees’ Retirement System pursuant to this section and the Public Employees’ Retirement System shall provide the Franchise Tax Board with access for that purpose. The reviews shall be limited to ensuring that the Public Employees’ Retirement System uses the information provided by the Franchise Tax Board only in the manner specified in subdivision (a). The Franchise Tax Board shall report all findings to the Public Employees’ Retirement System.

(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 719, Sec. 56. Effective October 19, 2010.)

19559.  

(a) (1) The Franchise Tax Board may disclose returns and return information to federal agencies on the same terms and to the same extent as returns and return information may be disclosed by the Secretary of the Treasury under paragraph (3)(C) or paragraph (7) of Section 6103(i) of the Internal Revenue Code.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Franchise Tax Board may not disclose any return or return information under this section if the Franchise Tax Board determines, in the manner specified by the Franchise Tax Board, that this disclosure would identify a confidential informant or seriously impair a civil or criminal tax investigation.

(b) This section shall apply to disclosures made on or after January 23, 2002, except that no disclosures may be made under this section after December 31, 2005.

(Amended (as added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 807) by Stats. 2005, Ch. 691, Sec. 50. Effective October 7, 2005.)

19560.  

(a) The Franchise Tax Board shall provide the Wildlife Conservation Board, within a reasonable time, information on the amount of the tax credit claimed under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 37030) of Division 28 of the Public Resources Code, with respect to each qualified contribution, as described in Section 17053.30 or 23630, that is claimed during that year, and any other information the Wildlife Conservation Board requires to correctly allocate the credit to the appropriate bond fund section, appropriation, department, and, if applicable, the related local government.

(b) The Franchise Tax Board shall not provide the Wildlife Conservation Board information pursuant to subdivision (a) if providing that information would disclose tax return information of a taxpayer, unless the taxpayer has consented to that disclosure pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 37034 of the Public Resources Code.

(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 715, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2005.)

19560.5.  

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, to effectuate the Financial Institution Record Match System prescribed under Section 19266, the Franchise Tax Board may disclose the name and social security number or taxpayer identification number to designated financial institutions or their authorized processing agent for purposes of matching debtor records to accountholder records at the financial institution. Any use of the data provided by the Franchise Tax Board for a purpose other than those identified by Section 19266 is prohibited and considered a violation of Section 19542.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 14, Sec. 8. Effective March 24, 2011.)

19561.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other section of law, the Franchise Tax Board may charge a fee for providing persons with copies of their tax returns. The fee shall include the costs of handling requests, copying documents, and postage.

(b) Fees received under this section shall be handled in accordance with Section 19605.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19562.  

Whenever under this part or any act heretofore or hereafter enacted, the Franchise Tax Board is required or permitted to disclose information, to furnish abstracts, or to permit access to its records, to or by any official, department, bureau, or agency of this state (including its political subdivisions), or any other state, or the United States, it may charge the official, department, bureau, or agency for the reasonable cost of its services.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19563.  

This article does not prohibit the publication of statistics, so classified as to prevent the identification of particular reports or returns and the items thereof, or the publication of the percentage of dividends paid by any corporation that is deductible by the recipient under Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001).

(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 605, Sec. 41. Effective January 1, 1998.)

19564.  

The Franchise Tax Board shall publish on or before December 31, 1978, and each December 31 thereafter, information on the amount of tax paid by individual taxpayers with high total incomes. Total income for this purpose is to be calculated and set forth by adding to adjusted gross income any items of tax preference excluded from, or deducted in arriving at, adjusted gross income, and by subtracting any investment expenses incurred in the production of that income to the extent of the investment income.

These data are to include the number of those individuals with total income over two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) who owe no state income tax (after credits) and the deductions, exclusions, or credits used by them to avoid tax.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 31, Sec. 26. Effective June 16, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 83 of Ch. 31.)

19565.  

(a) (1) If an organization is exempt from taxation under Section 23701 for any taxable year, the application filed by the organization with respect to which the Franchise Tax Board made its determination that the organization was entitled to exemption under Section 23701, together with any papers submitted in support of the application, any letter or other document issued by the Franchise Tax Board, with respect to the application, and any copy of the notification issued by the Internal Revenue Service approving the organization’s tax-exempt status pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code which is submitted by the organization to the Franchise Tax Board, shall be open to public inspection. After the application of any organization has been opened to public inspection under this subdivision, the Franchise Tax Board shall, on the request of any person with respect to the organization, furnish a statement indicating the section which it has been determined describes the organization.

(2) Any inspection under paragraph (1) may be made at times, and in the manner, as the Franchise Tax Board shall by regulation prescribe.

(b) Upon request of the organization submitting any supporting papers described in subdivision (a), the Franchise Tax Board shall withhold from public inspection any information contained therein which it determines relates to any trade secret, patent, process, style of work, or apparatus, of the organization, if it determines that public disclosure of the information would adversely affect the organization. The Franchise Tax Board shall withhold from public inspection any information contained in supporting papers described in subdivision (a) the public disclosure of which it determines would adversely affect the national defense.

(c) The Franchise Tax Board may impose a reasonable charge for supplying any information the disclosure of which is permitted under this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 536, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2014.)

19566.  

Any information provided to or secured by the Franchise Tax Board for purposes of administering Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001) may be used by Franchise Tax Board for purposes of administering Section 10878 or Article 6 (commencing with Section 19280) of Chapter 5.

(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1242, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 1995.)

19570.  

The provisions of Sections 1798.35, 1798.36, 1798.37, and Article 9 (commencing with Section 1798.45) of Chapter 1 of Title 1.8 of the Civil Code shall not be applied, directly or indirectly, to the determination of the existence or possible existence of liability (or the amount thereof) of any person for any tax, penalty, interest, fine, forfeiture, or other imposition or offense to which the provisions of Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001), or this part apply.

(Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 694, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2003.)

19571.  

(a) The Franchise Tax Board may disclose to state governmental licensing entities identifying information of persons appearing on the list of 500 largest tax delinquencies pursuant to Section 19195 for purposes of administering Section 494.5 of the Business and Professions Code. “Identifying information” means the name, social security number or taxpayer identification number, and the last known address of the persons appearing on the list of the 500 largest tax delinquencies.

(b) Neither the state governmental licensing entity, nor any officer, employee, or agent, or former officer, employee, or agent of a state governmental licensing entity, may disclose or use any information obtained from the Franchise Tax Board pursuant to this section, except to administer Section 494.5 of the Business and Professions Code or to inform the public of the denial, refusal to renew, or suspension of a license or the issuance of a temporary license pursuant to Section 494.5 of the Business and Professions Code.

(c) For purposes of this section, state governmental licensing entity means a state governmental licensing entity as defined in Section 494.5 of the Business and Professions Code.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 455, Sec. 15. Effective January 1, 2012.)

19572.  

(a) The Franchise Tax Board may disclose to state agencies identifying information of persons appearing on the list of the 500 largest tax delinquencies pursuant to Section 19195 for purposes of administering Section 10295.4 of the Public Contract Code. “Identifying information” means the name, social security number or taxpayer identification number, and the last known address of the persons appearing on the list of the 500 largest tax delinquencies.

(b) A state agency, and any officer, employee, or agent, or former officer, employee, or agent of a state agency, shall not disclose or use any information obtained from the Franchise Tax Board, pursuant to this section, except to administer Section 10295.4 of Public Contract Code.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 455, Sec. 16. Effective January 1, 2012.)