Subdivision 1.Disclosure prohibited.

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, neither the commissioner nor a public employee may reveal facts contained in a report or return required by this chapter or any information obtained from a tax obligor; nor can any information contained in such a report or return or obtained from a tax obligor be used against the tax obligor in any criminal proceeding, unless independently obtained, except in connection with a proceeding involving taxes due under this chapter from the tax obligor making the return.

Subd. 2.Penalty for disclosure.

Attorney's Note

Under the Minnesota Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Gross misdemeanorup to 1 yearup to $3,000
Misdemeanorup to 90 daysup to $1,000
For details, see § 609.02

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Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 297D.13

  • Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
  • state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
  • Tax: means any fee, charge, exaction, or assessment imposed by a governmental entity on an individual, person, entity, transaction, good, service, or other thing. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44

Any person violating this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Subd. 3.Statistics.

This section does not prohibit the commissioner from publishing statistics that do not disclose the identity of tax obligors or the contents of particular returns or reports.

Subd. 4.Possession of stamps.

A stamp denoting payment of the tax imposed under this chapter must not be used against the taxpayer in a criminal proceeding, except that the stamp may be used against the taxpayer in connection with the administration or civil or criminal enforcement of the tax imposed under this chapter or any similar tax imposed by another state or local unit of government.