1449-OOOO - Returns to be secret.

* §  1449-oooo.  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 or  town, including  any  person  engaged  or  retained  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 or town 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 town 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  or  town  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  or  town  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, 2025