1439-O - Returns to be secret.

* §  1439-o. Returns to be secret. 1. Except in accordance with proper  judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, it shall be unlawful for  the treasurer or any officer or employee of the county  of  Columbia  or  any person engaged or retained by such county on an independent contract  basis  to  divulge or make known in any manner the particulars set forth  or disclosed in any return required under a local law  enacted  pursuant  to  this  article.  However, that nothing in this section shall prohibit  the recording officer from making a notation on an instrument  effecting  a  conveyance  indicating the amount of tax paid. No recorded instrument  effecting a conveyance shall be considered a return for purposes of this  section.    2. The officers charged with the custody of such returns shall not  be  required  to  produce  any  of them or evidence of anything contained in  them in any action or proceeding in any court, except on behalf  of  the  county in any action or proceeding involving the collection of a tax due  under  a local law enacted pursuant to this article to which such county  or an officer or employee of such county is a party or a claimant, or on  behalf of any party to any action or proceeding under the provisions  of  a  local  law enacted pursuant to this article when the returns or facts  shown thereby are directly involved in such action or proceeding, in any  of which events the court may require the production of, and  may  admit  in  evidence,  so much of said returns or of the facts shown thereby, as  are pertinent to the action or proceeding and no more.    3. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit  the  delivery  to  a  grantor  or  grantee of an instrument effecting a conveyance or the duly  authorized representative of a grantor or grantee of a certified copy of  any return filed in connection with such instrument or to  prohibit  the  publication of statistics so classified as to prevent the identification  of  particular  returns  and the items thereof, or the inspection by the  legal representatives of such county of the return of any  taxpayer  who  shall bring action to set aside or review the tax based thereon.    4.  Any  officer or employee of such county who willfully violates the  provisions of this  section  shall  be  dismissed  from  office  and  be  incapable  of  holding  any  public office in this state for a period of  five years thereafter.    * NB Repealed December 31, 2011    * NB There are 3 § 1439-o's