81R8054 CBH-D

By: Martinez Fischer H.B. No. 4109

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of certain governmental entities to receive local sales tax information.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 151.027(c), Tax Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) This section does not prohibit:

(1) the examination of information, if authorized by the comptroller, by another state officer or law enforcement officer, by a tax official of another state, by a tax official of the United Mexican States, or by an official of the United States if a reciprocal agreement exists;

(2) the delivery to a taxpayer, or a taxpayer's authorized representative, of a copy of a report or other paper filed by the taxpayer under this chapter;

(3) the publication of statistics classified to prevent the identification of a particular report or items in a particular report;

(4) the use of records, reports, or information secured, derived, or obtained by the attorney general or the comptroller in an action under this chapter against the same taxpayer who furnished the information;

(5) the delivery to a successor, receiver, executor, administrator, assignee, or guarantor of a taxpayer of information about items included in the measure and amounts of any unpaid tax or amounts of tax, penalties, and interest required to be collected;

(6) the delivery of information to an eligible municipality or transit or transportation authority in accordance with Section 321.3022 or 322.2022; or

(7) the release of information in or derived from a record, report, or other instrument required to be furnished under this chapter by a governmental body, as that term is defined in Section 552.003, Government Code.

SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 322, Tax Code, is amended by adding Section 322.2022 to read as follows:

Sec. 322.2022. TAX INFORMATION. (a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the comptroller on request shall provide to a taxing entity that is a rapid transit authority created under Chapter 451, Transportation Code, or a regional transportation authority created under Chapter 452, Transportation Code, that has adopted a tax under the law authorizing the creation of the entity:

(1) information relating to the amount of tax paid to the entity under this chapter during the preceding or current calendar year by each person doing business in the area included in the entity who annually remits to the comptroller state and local sales tax payments of more than $25,000; and

(2) any other information as provided by this section.

(b) The comptroller on request shall provide to a taxing entity to which this section applies information relating to the amount of tax paid to the entity under this chapter during the preceding or current calendar year by each person doing business in an area included in the entity, as defined by the entity, that is part of:

(1) an interlocal agreement;

(2) a revenue sharing agreement;

(3) any other agreement similar to those listed in Subdivisions (1) and (2); or

(4) any area defined by the entity for the purpose of economic forecasting.

(c) The comptroller shall provide the information under Subsection (b) as an aggregate total for all persons doing business in the defined area without disclosing individual tax payments.

(d) If the request for information under Subsection (b) involves not more than three persons doing business in the defined area who remit taxes under this chapter, the comptroller shall refuse to provide the information to the taxing entity unless the comptroller receives permission from each of the persons allowing the comptroller to provide the information to the entity as requested.

(e) A separate request for information under this section must be made in writing by the taxing entity each year.

(f) Information received by a taxing entity under this section is confidential, is not open to public inspection, and may be used only for the purpose of economic forecasting, for internal auditing of a tax paid to the entity under this chapter, or for the purpose described by Subsection (g).

(g) Information received by a taxing entity under Subsection (b) may be used by the entity to assist in determining revenue sharing under a revenue sharing agreement or other similar agreement.

(h) The comptroller may set and collect from a taxing entity reasonable fees to cover the expense of compiling and providing information under this section.

(i) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, the governing body of a taxing entity is not required to confer with one or more employees or a third party in an open meeting to receive information or question the employees or third party regarding the information received by the entity under this section.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.