093_HB0018 LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 AN ACT in relation to taxes. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by 5 changing Section 917 as follows: 6 (35 ILCS 5/917) (from Ch. 120, par. 9-917) 7 Sec. 917. Confidentiality and information sharing. 8 (a) Confidentiality. Except as provided in this Section, 9 all information received by the Department from returns filed 10 under this Act, or from any investigation conducted under the 11 provisions of this Act, shall be confidential, except for 12 official purposes within the Department, pursuant to Section 13 2.5 of the Tax Collection Suit Act,or pursuant to official14procedures for collection of any State taxor pursuant to an 15 investigation or audit by the Illinois State Scholarship 16 Commission of a delinquent student loan or monetary award or 17 enforcement of any civil or criminal penalty or sanction 18 imposed by this Act or by another statute imposing a State 19 tax, and any person who divulges any such information in any 20 manner, except for such purposes and pursuant to order of the 21 Director or in accordance with a proper judicial order, shall 22 be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. However, the provisions 23 of this paragraph are not applicable to information furnished 24 to a licensed attorney representing the taxpayer where an 25 appeal or a protest has been filed on behalf of the taxpayer. 26 (b) Public information. Nothing contained in this Act 27 shall prevent the Director from publishing or making 28 available to the public the names and addresses of persons 29 filing returns under this Act, or from publishing or making 30 available reasonable statistics concerning the operation of 31 the tax wherein the contents of returns are grouped into -2- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 aggregates in such a way that the information contained in 2 any individual return shall not be disclosed. 3 (c) Governmental agencies. The Director may make 4 available to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United 5 States or his delegate, or the proper officer or his delegate 6 of any other state imposing a tax upon or measured by income, 7 for exclusively official purposes, information received by 8 the Department in the administration of this Act, but such 9 permission shall be granted only if the United States or such 10 other state, as the case may be, grants the Department 11 substantially similar privileges. The Director may exchange 12 information with the Illinois Department of Public Aid and 13 the Department of Human Services (acting as successor to the 14 Department of Public Aid under the Department of Human 15 Services Act) for the purpose of verifying sources and 16 amounts of income and for other purposes directly connected 17 with the administration of this Act and the Illinois Public 18 Aid Code. The Director may exchange information with the 19 Director of the Department of Employment Security for the 20 purpose of verifying sources and amounts of income and for 21 other purposes directly connected with the administration of 22 this Act and Acts administered by the Department of 23 Employment Security. The Director may make available to the 24 Illinois Industrial Commission information regarding 25 employers for the purpose of verifying the insurance coverage 26 required under the Workers' Compensation Act and Workers' 27 Occupational Diseases Act. 28 The Director may make available to any State agency, 29 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 30 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 31 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 32 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 33 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 34 interest due under this Act. The Director may also make -3- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 available to the Secretary of State information that a 2 corporation which has been issued a certificate of 3 incorporation by the Secretary of State has failed to file 4 returns under this Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest 5 shown therein, or has failed to pay any final assessment of 6 tax, penalty or interest due under this Act. An assessment is 7 final when all proceedings in court for review of such 8 assessment have terminated or the time for the taking thereof 9 has expired without such proceedings being instituted. For 10 taxable years ending on or after December 31, 1987, the 11 Director may make available to the Director or principal 12 officer of any Department of the State of Illinois, 13 information that a person employed by such Department has 14 failed to file returns under this Act or pay the tax, penalty 15 and interest shown therein. For purposes of this paragraph, 16 the word "Department" shall have the same meaning as provided 17 in Section 3 of the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 18 1971. 19 (d) The Director shall make available for public 20 inspection in the Department's principal office and for 21 publication, at cost, administrative decisions issued on or 22 after January 1, 1995. These decisions are to be made 23 available in a manner so that the following taxpayer 24 information is not disclosed: 25 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 26 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 27 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 28 secrets or other confidential information identified as 29 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 30 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 31 Department shall provide by rule. 32 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 33 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 34 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make -4- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 2 The Director shall make available for public inspection 3 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 4 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 5 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 6 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 7 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 8 Compliance and Administration Fund. 9 (e) Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the 10 Director from divulging information to any person pursuant to 11 a request or authorization made by the taxpayer, by an 12 authorized representative of the taxpayer, or, in the case of 13 information related to a joint return, by the spouse filing 14 the joint return with the taxpayer. 15 (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97; 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.) 16 Section 10. The Retailers' Occupation Tax Act is amended 17 by changing Section 11 as follows: 18 (35 ILCS 120/11) (from Ch. 120, par. 450) 19 Sec. 11. All information received by the Department from 20 returns filed under this Act, or from any investigation 21 conducted under this Act, shall be confidential, except for 22 official purposes or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax 23 Collection Suit Act, and any person who divulges any such 24 information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper 25 judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be 26 guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. 27 Nothing in this Act prevents the Director of Revenue from 28 publishing or making available to the public the names and 29 addresses of persons filing returns under this Act, or 30 reasonable statistics concerning the operation of the tax by 31 grouping the contents of returns so the information in any 32 individual return is not disclosed. -5- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 Nothing in this Act prevents the Director of Revenue from 2 divulging to the United States Government or the government 3 of any other state, or any village that does not levy any 4 real property taxes for village operations and that receives 5 more than 60% of its general corporate revenue from taxes 6 under the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service 7 Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, or 8 any officer or agency thereof, for exclusively official 9 purposes, information received by the Department in 10 administering this Act, provided that such other governmental 11 agency agrees to divulge requested tax information to the 12 Department. 13 The Department's furnishing of information derived from a 14 taxpayer's return or from an investigation conducted under 15 this Act to the surety on a taxpayer's bond that has been 16 furnished to the Department under this Act, either to provide 17 notice to such surety of its potential liability under the 18 bond or, in order to support the Department's demand for 19 payment from such surety under the bond, is an official 20 purpose within the meaning of this Section. 21 The furnishing upon request of information obtained by 22 the Department from returns filed under this Act or 23 investigations conducted under this Act to the Illinois 24 Liquor Control Commission for official use is deemed to be an 25 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 26 Notice to a surety of potential liability shall not be 27 given unless the taxpayer has first been notified, not less 28 than 10 days prior thereto, of the Department's intent to so 29 notify the surety. 30 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 31 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 32 information related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an 33 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 34 Where an appeal or a protest has been filed on behalf of -6- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 a taxpayer, the furnishing upon request of the attorney for 2 the taxpayer of returns filed by the taxpayer and information 3 related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an official 4 purpose within the meaning of this Section. 5 The furnishing of financial information to a home rule 6 unit that has imposed a tax similar to that imposed by this 7 Act pursuant to its home rule powers, or to any village that 8 does not levy any real property taxes for village operations 9 and that receives more than 60% of its general corporate 10 revenue from taxes under the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax 11 Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' 12 Occupation Tax Act, upon request of the Chief Executive 13 thereof, is an official purpose within the meaning of this 14 Section, provided the home rule unit or village that does 15 not levy any real property taxes for village operations and 16 that receives more than 60% of its general corporate revenue 17 from taxes under the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, 18 the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation 19 Tax Act agrees in writing to the requirements of this 20 Section. 21 For a village that does not levy any real property taxes 22 for village operations and that receives more than 60% of its 23 general corporate revenue from taxes under the Use Tax Act, 24 Service Use Tax Act, Service Occupation Tax Act, and 25 Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, the officers eligible to 26 receive information from the Department of Revenue under this 27 Section are the village manager and the chief financial 28 officer of the village. 29 Information so provided shall be subject to all 30 confidentiality provisions of this Section. The written 31 agreement shall provide for reciprocity, limitations on 32 access, disclosure, and procedures for requesting 33 information. 34 The Department may make available to the Board of -7- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 Trustees of any Metro East Mass Transit District information 2 contained on transaction reporting returns required to be 3 filed under Section 3 of this Act that report sales made 4 within the boundary of the taxing authority of that Metro 5 East Mass Transit District, as provided in Section 5.01 of 6 the Local Mass Transit District Act. The disclosure shall be 7 made pursuant to a written agreement between the Department 8 and the Board of Trustees of a Metro East Mass Transit 9 District, which is an official purpose within the meaning of 10 this Section. The written agreement between the Department 11 and the Board of Trustees of a Metro East Mass Transit 12 District shall provide for reciprocity, limitations on 13 access, disclosure, and procedures for requesting 14 information. Information so provided shall be subject to all 15 confidentiality provisions of this Section. 16 The Director may make available to any State agency, 17 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 18 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 19 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 20 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 21 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 22 interest due under this Act. The Director may also make 23 available to the Secretary of State information that a 24 limited liability company, which has filed articles of 25 organization with the Secretary of State, or corporation 26 which has been issued a certificate of incorporation by the 27 Secretary of State has failed to file returns under this Act 28 or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or has 29 failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 30 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all 31 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 32 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 33 without such proceedings being instituted. 34 The Director shall make available for public inspection -8- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 2 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 3 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner 4 so that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 5 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 6 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 7 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 8 secrets or other confidential information identified as 9 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 10 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 11 Department shall provide by rule. 12 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 13 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 14 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make 15 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 16 The Director shall make available for public inspection 17 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 18 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 19 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 20 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 21 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 22 Compliance and Administration Fund. 23 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 24 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 25 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 26 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 27 (Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98; 91-954, eff. 1-1-02.) 28 Section 15. The Cigarette Tax Act is amended by changing 29 Section 10b as follows: 30 (35 ILCS 130/10b) (from Ch. 120, par. 453.10b) 31 Sec. 10b. All information received by the Department 32 from returns filed under this Act, or from any investigation -9- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 conducted under this Act, shall be confidential, except for 2 official purposes or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax 3 Collection Suit Act, and any person who divulges any such 4 information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper 5 judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be 6 guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. 7 Nothing in this Act prevents the Director of Revenue from 8 publishing or making available to the public the names and 9 addresses of persons filing returns under this Act, or 10 reasonable statistics concerning the operation of the tax by 11 grouping the contents of returns so that the information in 12 any individual return is not disclosed. 13 Nothing in this Act prevents the Director of Revenue from 14 divulging to the United States Government or the government 15 of any other state, or any officer or agency thereof, for 16 exclusively official purposes, information received by the 17 Department in administering this Act, provided that such 18 other governmental agency agrees to divulge requested tax 19 information to the Department. 20 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 21 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 22 information related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an 23 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 24 The furnishing of financial information to a home rule 25 unit with a population in excess of 2,000,000 that has 26 imposed a tax similar to that imposed by this Act under its 27 home rule powers, upon request of the Chief Executive of the 28 home rule unit, is an official purpose within the meaning of 29 this Section, provided the home rule unit agrees in writing 30 to the requirements of this Section. Information so provided 31 is subject to all confidentiality provisions of this Section. 32 The written agreement shall provide for reciprocity, 33 limitations on access, disclosure, and procedures for 34 requesting information. -10- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 The Director may make available to any State agency, 2 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 3 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 4 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 5 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 6 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 7 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all 8 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 9 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 10 without such proceedings being instituted. 11 The Director shall make available for public inspection 12 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 13 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 14 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner so 15 that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 16 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 17 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 18 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 19 secrets or other confidential information identified as 20 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 21 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 22 Department shall provide by rule. 23 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 24 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 25 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make 26 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 27 The Director shall make available for public inspection 28 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 29 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 30 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 31 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 32 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 33 Compliance and Administration Fund. 34 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director -11- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 2 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 3 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 4 (Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.) 5 Section 20. The Cigarette Use Tax Act is amended by 6 changing Section 20 as follows: 7 (35 ILCS 135/20) (from Ch. 120, par. 453.50) 8 Sec. 20. All information received by the Department 9 from returns filed under this Act, or from any investigation 10 conducted under this Act, shall be confidential, except for 11 official purposes or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax 12 Collection Suit Act, and any person who divulges any such 13 information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper 14 judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be 15 guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. 16 Nothing in this Act prevents the Director of Revenue from 17 publishing or making available to the public the names and 18 addresses of persons filing returns under this Act, or 19 reasonable statistics concerning the operation of the tax by 20 grouping the contents of returns so that the information in 21 any individual return is not disclosed. 22 Nothing in this Act prevents the Director of Revenue from 23 divulging to the United States Government or the government 24 of any other state, or any officer or agency thereof, for 25 exclusively official purposes, information received by the 26 Department in administering this Act, provided that such 27 other governmental agency agrees to divulge requested tax 28 information to the Department. 29 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 30 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 31 information related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an 32 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. -12- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 The furnishing of financial information to a home rule 2 unit with a population in excess of 2,000,000 that has 3 imposed a tax similar to that imposed by this Act under its 4 home rule powers, upon request of the Chief Executive of the 5 home rule unit, is an official purpose within the meaning of 6 this Section, provided the home rule unit agrees in writing 7 to the requirements of this Section. Information so provided 8 is subject to all confidentiality provisions of this Section. 9 The written agreement shall provide for reciprocity, 10 limitations on access, disclosure, and procedures for 11 requesting information. 12 The Director may make available to any State agency, 13 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 14 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 15 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 16 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 17 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 18 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all 19 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 20 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 21 without such proceedings being instituted. 22 The Director shall make available for public inspection 23 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 24 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 25 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner so 26 that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 27 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 28 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 29 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 30 secrets or other confidential information identified as 31 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 32 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 33 Department shall provide by rule. 34 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of -13- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 2 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make 3 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 4 The Director shall make available for public inspection 5 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 6 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 7 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 8 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 9 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 10 Compliance and Administration Fund. 11 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 12 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 13 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 14 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 15 (Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.) 16 Section 25. The Property Tax Code is amended by changing 17 Section 15-172 as follows: 18 (35 ILCS 200/15-172) 19 Sec. 15-172. Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead 20 Exemption. 21 (a) This Section may be cited as the Senior Citizens 22 Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption. 23 (b) As used in this Section: 24 "Applicant" means an individual who has filed an 25 application under this Section. 26 "Base amount" means the base year equalized assessed 27 value of the residence plus the first year's equalized 28 assessed value of any added improvements which increased the 29 assessed value of the residence after the base year. 30 "Base year" means the taxable year prior to the taxable 31 year for which the applicant first qualifies and applies for 32 the exemption provided that in the prior taxable year the -14- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 property was improved with a permanent structure that was 2 occupied as a residence by the applicant who was liable for 3 paying real property taxes on the property and who was either 4 (i) an owner of record of the property or had legal or 5 equitable interest in the property as evidenced by a written 6 instrument or (ii) had a legal or equitable interest as a 7 lessee in the parcel of property that was single family 8 residence. If in any subsequent taxable year for which the 9 applicant applies and qualifies for the exemption the 10 equalized assessed value of the residence is less than the 11 equalized assessed value in the existing base year (provided 12 that such equalized assessed value is not based on an 13 assessed value that results from a temporary irregularity in 14 the property that reduces the assessed value for one or more 15 taxable years), then that subsequent taxable year shall 16 become the base year until a new base year is established 17 under the terms of this paragraph. For taxable year 1999 18 only, the Chief County Assessment Officer shall review (i) 19 all taxable years for which the applicant applied and 20 qualified for the exemption and (ii) the existing base year. 21 The assessment officer shall select as the new base year the 22 year with the lowest equalized assessed value. An equalized 23 assessed value that is based on an assessed value that 24 results from a temporary irregularity in the property that 25 reduces the assessed value for one or more taxable years 26 shall not be considered the lowest equalized assessed value. 27 The selected year shall be the base year for taxable year 28 1999 and thereafter until a new base year is established 29 under the terms of this paragraph. 30 "Chief County Assessment Officer" means the County 31 Assessor or Supervisor of Assessments of the county in which 32 the property is located. 33 "Equalized assessed value" means the assessed value as 34 equalized by the Illinois Department of Revenue. -15- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 "Household" means the applicant, the spouse of the 2 applicant, and all persons using the residence of the 3 applicant as their principal place of residence. 4 "Household income" means the combined income of the 5 members of a household for the calendar year preceding the 6 taxable year. 7 "Income" has the same meaning as provided in Section 3.07 8 of the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax 9 Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act, except that, 10 beginning in assessment year 2001, "income" does not include 11 veteran's benefits. 12 "Internal Revenue Code of 1986" means the United States 13 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or any successor law or laws 14 relating to federal income taxes in effect for the year 15 preceding the taxable year. 16 "Life care facility that qualifies as a cooperative" 17 means a facility as defined in Section 2 of the Life Care 18 Facilities Act. 19 "Residence" means the principal dwelling place and 20 appurtenant structures used for residential purposes in this 21 State occupied on January 1 of the taxable year by a 22 household and so much of the surrounding land, constituting 23 the parcel upon which the dwelling place is situated, as is 24 used for residential purposes. If the Chief County Assessment 25 Officer has established a specific legal description for a 26 portion of property constituting the residence, then that 27 portion of property shall be deemed the residence for the 28 purposes of this Section. 29 "Taxable year" means the calendar year during which ad 30 valorem property taxes payable in the next succeeding year 31 are levied. 32 (c) Beginning in taxable year 1994, a senior citizens 33 assessment freeze homestead exemption is granted for real 34 property that is improved with a permanent structure that is -16- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 occupied as a residence by an applicant who (i) is 65 years 2 of age or older during the taxable year, (ii) has a household 3 income of $35,000 or less prior to taxable year 1999 or 4 $40,000 or less in taxable year 1999 and thereafter, (iii) is 5 liable for paying real property taxes on the property, and 6 (iv) is an owner of record of the property or has a legal or 7 equitable interest in the property as evidenced by a written 8 instrument. This homestead exemption shall also apply to a 9 leasehold interest in a parcel of property improved with a 10 permanent structure that is a single family residence that is 11 occupied as a residence by a person who (i) is 65 years of 12 age or older during the taxable year, (ii) has a household 13 income of $35,000 or less prior to taxable year 1999 or 14 $40,000 or less in taxable year 1999 and thereafter, (iii) 15 has a legal or equitable ownership interest in the property 16 as lessee, and (iv) is liable for the payment of real 17 property taxes on that property. 18 The amount of this exemption shall be the equalized 19 assessed value of the residence in the taxable year for which 20 application is made minus the base amount. 21 When the applicant is a surviving spouse of an applicant 22 for a prior year for the same residence for which an 23 exemption under this Section has been granted, the base year 24 and base amount for that residence are the same as for the 25 applicant for the prior year. 26 Each year at the time the assessment books are certified 27 to the County Clerk, the Board of Review or Board of Appeals 28 shall give to the County Clerk a list of the assessed values 29 of improvements on each parcel qualifying for this exemption 30 that were added after the base year for this parcel and that 31 increased the assessed value of the property. 32 In the case of land improved with an apartment building 33 owned and operated as a cooperative or a building that is a 34 life care facility that qualifies as a cooperative, the -17- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 maximum reduction from the equalized assessed value of the 2 property is limited to the sum of the reductions calculated 3 for each unit occupied as a residence by a person or persons 4 65 years of age or older with a household income of $35,000 5 or less prior to taxable year 1999 or $40,000 or less in 6 taxable year 1999 and thereafter who is liable, by contract 7 with the owner or owners of record, for paying real property 8 taxes on the property and who is an owner of record of a 9 legal or equitable interest in the cooperative apartment 10 building, other than a leasehold interest. In the instance of 11 a cooperative where a homestead exemption has been granted 12 under this Section, the cooperative association or its 13 management firm shall credit the savings resulting from that 14 exemption only to the apportioned tax liability of the owner 15 who qualified for the exemption. Any person who willfully 16 refuses to credit that savings to an owner who qualifies for 17 the exemption is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. 18 When a homestead exemption has been granted under this 19 Section and an applicant then becomes a resident of a 20 facility licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act, the 21 exemption shall be granted in subsequent years so long as the 22 residence (i) continues to be occupied by the qualified 23 applicant's spouse or (ii) if remaining unoccupied, is still 24 owned by the qualified applicant for the homestead exemption. 25 Beginning January 1, 1997, when an individual dies who 26 would have qualified for an exemption under this Section, and 27 the surviving spouse does not independently qualify for this 28 exemption because of age, the exemption under this Section 29 shall be granted to the surviving spouse for the taxable year 30 preceding and the taxable year of the death, provided that, 31 except for age, the surviving spouse meets all other 32 qualifications for the granting of this exemption for those 33 years. 34 When married persons maintain separate residences, the -18- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 exemption provided for in this Section may be claimed by only 2 one of such persons and for only one residence. 3 For taxable year 1994 only, in counties having less than 4 3,000,000 inhabitants, to receive the exemption, a person 5 shall submit an application by February 15, 1995 to the Chief 6 County Assessment Officer of the county in which the property 7 is located. In counties having 3,000,000 or more 8 inhabitants, for taxable year 1994 and all subsequent taxable 9 years, to receive the exemption, a person may submit an 10 application to the Chief County Assessment Officer of the 11 county in which the property is located during such period as 12 may be specified by the Chief County Assessment Officer. The 13 Chief County Assessment Officer in counties of 3,000,000 or 14 more inhabitants shall annually give notice of the 15 application period by mail or by publication. In counties 16 having less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, beginning with 17 taxable year 1995 and thereafter, to receive the exemption, a 18 person shall submit an application by July 1 of each taxable 19 year to the Chief County Assessment Officer of the county in 20 which the property is located. A county may, by ordinance, 21 establish a date for submission of applications that is 22 different than July 1. The applicant shall submit with the 23 application an affidavit of the applicant's total household 24 income, age, marital status (and if married the name and 25 address of the applicant's spouse, if known), and principal 26 dwelling place of members of the household on January 1 of 27 the taxable year. The Department shall establish, by rule, a 28 method for verifying the accuracy of affidavits filed by 29 applicants under this Section. The applications shall be 30 clearly marked as applications for the Senior Citizens 31 Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption. 32 Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, in 33 counties having fewer than 3,000,000 inhabitants, if an 34 applicant fails to file the application required by this -19- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 Section in a timely manner and this failure to file is due to 2 a mental or physical condition sufficiently severe so as to 3 render the applicant incapable of filing the application in a 4 timely manner, the Chief County Assessment Officer may extend 5 the filing deadline for a period of 30 days after the 6 applicant regains the capability to file the application, but 7 in no case may the filing deadline be extended beyond 3 8 months of the original filing deadline. In order to receive 9 the extension provided in this paragraph, the applicant shall 10 provide the Chief County Assessment Officer with a signed 11 statement from the applicant's physician stating the nature 12 and extent of the condition, that, in the physician's 13 opinion, the condition was so severe that it rendered the 14 applicant incapable of filing the application in a timely 15 manner, and the date on which the applicant regained the 16 capability to file the application. 17 Beginning January 1, 1998, notwithstanding any other 18 provision to the contrary, in counties having fewer than 19 3,000,000 inhabitants, if an applicant fails to file the 20 application required by this Section in a timely manner and 21 this failure to file is due to a mental or physical condition 22 sufficiently severe so as to render the applicant incapable 23 of filing the application in a timely manner, the Chief 24 County Assessment Officer may extend the filing deadline for 25 a period of 3 months. In order to receive the extension 26 provided in this paragraph, the applicant shall provide the 27 Chief County Assessment Officer with a signed statement from 28 the applicant's physician stating the nature and extent of 29 the condition, and that, in the physician's opinion, the 30 condition was so severe that it rendered the applicant 31 incapable of filing the application in a timely manner. 32 In counties having less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, if an 33 applicant was denied an exemption in taxable year 1994 and 34 the denial occurred due to an error on the part of an -20- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 assessment official, or his or her agent or employee, then 2 beginning in taxable year 1997 the applicant's base year, for 3 purposes of determining the amount of the exemption, shall be 4 1993 rather than 1994. In addition, in taxable year 1997, the 5 applicant's exemption shall also include an amount equal to 6 (i) the amount of any exemption denied to the applicant in 7 taxable year 1995 as a result of using 1994, rather than 8 1993, as the base year, (ii) the amount of any exemption 9 denied to the applicant in taxable year 1996 as a result of 10 using 1994, rather than 1993, as the base year, and (iii) the 11 amount of the exemption erroneously denied for taxable year 12 1994. 13 For purposes of this Section, a person who will be 65 14 years of age during the current taxable year shall be 15 eligible to apply for the homestead exemption during that 16 taxable year. Application shall be made during the 17 application period in effect for the county of his or her 18 residence. 19 The Chief County Assessment Officer may determine the 20 eligibility of a life care facility that qualifies as a 21 cooperative to receive the benefits provided by this Section 22 by use of an affidavit, application, visual inspection, 23 questionnaire, or other reasonable method in order to insure 24 that the tax savings resulting from the exemption are 25 credited by the management firm to the apportioned tax 26 liability of each qualifying resident. The Chief County 27 Assessment Officer may request reasonable proof that the 28 management firm has so credited that exemption. 29 Except as provided in this Section, all information 30 received by the chief county assessment officer or the 31 Department from applications filed under this Section, or 32 from any investigation conducted under the provisions of this 33 Section, shall be confidential, except for official purposes 34 or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax Collection Suit Act -21- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1pursuant to official procedures for collection of any State2or local taxor enforcement of any civil or criminal penalty 3 or sanction imposed by this Act or by any statute or 4 ordinance imposing a State or local tax. Any person who 5 divulges any such information in any manner, except in 6 accordance with a proper judicial order, is guilty of a Class 7 A misdemeanor. 8 Nothing contained in this Section shall prevent the 9 Director or chief county assessment officer from publishing 10 or making available reasonable statistics concerning the 11 operation of the exemption contained in this Section in which 12 the contents of claims are grouped into aggregates in such a 13 way that information contained in any individual claim shall 14 not be disclosed. 15 (d) Each Chief County Assessment Officer shall annually 16 publish a notice of availability of the exemption provided 17 under this Section. The notice shall be published at least 18 60 days but no more than 75 days prior to the date on which 19 the application must be submitted to the Chief County 20 Assessment Officer of the county in which the property is 21 located. The notice shall appear in a newspaper of general 22 circulation in the county. 23 (Source: P.A. 90-14, eff. 7-1-97; 90-204, eff. 7-25-97; 24 90-523, eff. 11-13-97; 90-524, eff. 1-1-98; 90-531, eff. 25 1-1-98; 90-655, eff. 7-30-98; 91-45, eff. 6-30-99; 91-56, 26 eff. 6-30-99; 91-819, eff. 6-13-00.) 27 Section 30. The Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping 28 Transfer Tax Act is amended by changing Section 6 as follows: 29 (35 ILCS 405/6) (from Ch. 120, par. 405A-6) 30 Sec. 6. Returns and payments. 31 (a) Due Dates. The Illinois transfer tax shall be paid 32 and the Illinois transfer tax return shall be filed on the -22- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 due date or dates, respectively, including extensions, for 2 paying the related federal transfer tax and filing the 3 related federal return. 4 (b) Installment payments and deferral. In the event 5 that any portion of the federal transfer tax is deferred or 6 to be paid in installments under the provisions of the 7 Internal Revenue Code, the portion of the Illinois transfer 8 tax which is subject to deferral or payable in installments 9 shall be determined by multiplying the Illinois transfer tax 10 by a fraction, the numerator of which is the gross value of 11 the assets included in the transferred property having a tax 12 situs in this State and which give rise to the deferred or 13 installment payment under the Internal Revenue Code, and the 14 denominator of which is the gross value of all assets 15 included in the transferred property having a tax situs in 16 this State. Deferred payments and installment payments, with 17 interest, shall be paid at the same time and in the same 18 manner as payments of the federal transfer tax are required 19 to be made under the applicable Sections of the Internal 20 Revenue Code, provided that the rate of interest on unpaid 21 amounts of Illinois transfer tax shall be determined under 22 this Act. Acceleration of payment under this Section shall 23 occur under the same circumstances and in the same manner as 24 provided in the Internal Revenue Code. 25 (c) Who shall file and pay. The Illinois transfer tax 26 return (including any supplemental or amended return) shall 27 be filed, and the Illinois transfer tax (including any 28 additional tax that may become due) shall be paid by the same 29 person or persons, respectively, who are required to pay the 30 related federal transfer tax and file the related federal 31 return. 32 (d) Where to file return. The executed Illinois 33 transfer tax return shall be filed with the Attorney General. 34 In addition, a copy of the Illinois transfer tax return shall -23- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 be filed with the county treasurer to whom the Illinois 2 transfer tax is paid, determined under subsection (e) of this 3 Section. 4 (e) Where to pay tax. The Illinois transfer tax shall 5 be paid to the treasurer of the county determined under the 6 following rules: 7 (1) Illinois Estate Tax. The Illinois estate tax 8 shall be paid to the treasurer of the county in which the 9 decedent was a resident on the date of the decedent's 10 death or, if the decedent was not a resident of this 11 State on the date of death, the county in which the 12 greater part, by gross value, of the transferred property 13 with a tax situs in this State is located. 14 (2) Illinois Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax. The 15 Illinois generation-skipping transfer tax involving 16 transferred property from or in a resident trust shall be 17 paid to the county treasurer for the county in which the 18 grantor resided at the time the trust became irrevocable 19 (in the case of an inter vivos trust) or the county in 20 which the decedent resided at death (in the case of a 21 trust created by the will of a decedent). In the case of 22 an Illinois generation-skipping transfer tax involving 23 transferred property from or in a non-resident trust, the 24 Illinois generation-skipping transfer tax shall be paid 25 to the county treasurer for the county in which the 26 greater part, by gross value, of the transferred property 27 with a tax situs in this State is located. 28 (f) Forms; confidentiality. The Illinois transfer tax 29 return shall be in all respects in the manner and form 30 prescribed by the regulations of the Attorney General. At 31 the same time the Illinois transfer tax return is filed, the 32 person required to file shall also file with the Attorney 33 General a copy of the related federal return. The Illinois 34 transfer tax return and the copy of the federal return filed -24- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 with the Attorney General or any county treasurer shall be 2 confidential, and the Attorney General, each county treasurer 3 and all of their assistants or employees are prohibited from 4 divulging in any manner any of the contents of those returns, 5 except only in a proceeding instituted under the provisions 6 of this Act or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax Collection 7 Suit Act. 8 (g) County Treasurer shall accept payment. No county 9 treasurer shall refuse to accept payment of any amount due 10 under this Act on the grounds that the county treasurer has 11 not yet received a copy of the appropriate Illinois transfer 12 tax return. 13 (Source: P.A. 86-737.) 14 Section 35. The Messages Tax Act is amended by changing 15 Section 11 as follows: 16 (35 ILCS 610/11) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.11) 17 Sec. 11. All information received by the Department from 18 returns filed under this Act, or from any investigations 19 conducted under this Act, shall be confidential, except for 20 official purposes or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax 21 Collection Suit Act, and any person who divulges any such 22 information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper 23 judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be 24 guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. 25 Provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 26 prevent the Director from publishing or making available to 27 the public the names and addresses of taxpayers filing 28 returns under this Act, or from publishing or making 29 available reasonable statistics concerning the operation of 30 the tax wherein the contents of returns are grouped into 31 aggregates in such a way that the information contained in 32 any individual return shall not be disclosed. -25- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 And provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 2 prevent the Director from making available to the United 3 States Government or any officer or agency thereof, for 4 exclusively official purposes, information received by the 5 Department in the administration of this Act. 6 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 7 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 8 information related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an 9 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 10 The Director may make available to any State agency, 11 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 12 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 13 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 14 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 15 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 16 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all 17 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 18 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 19 without such proceedings being instituted. 20 The Director shall make available for public inspection 21 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 22 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 23 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner so 24 that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 25 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 26 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 27 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 28 secrets or other confidential information identified as 29 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 30 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 31 Department shall provide by rule. 32 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 33 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 34 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make -26- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 2 The Director shall make available for public inspection 3 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 4 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 5 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 6 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 7 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 8 Compliance and Administration Fund. 9 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 10 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 11 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 12 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 13 (Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.) 14 Section 40. The Gas Revenue Tax Act is amended by 15 changing Section 11 as follows: 16 (35 ILCS 615/11) (from Ch. 120, par. 467.26) 17 Sec. 11. All information received by the Department from 18 returns filed under this Act, or from any investigations 19 conducted under this Act, shall be confidential, except for 20 official purposes or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax 21 Collection Suit Act, and any person who divulges any such 22 information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper 23 judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be 24 guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. 25 Provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 26 prevent the Director from publishing or making available to 27 the public the names and addresses of taxpayers filing 28 returns under this Act, or from publishing or making 29 available reasonable statistics concerning the operation of 30 the tax wherein the contents of returns are grouped into 31 aggregates in such a way that the information contained in 32 any individual return shall not be disclosed. -27- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 And provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 2 prevent the Director from making available to the United 3 States Government or any officer or agency thereof, for 4 exclusively official purposes, information received by the 5 Department in the administration of this Act. 6 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 7 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 8 information related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an 9 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 10 The Director may make available to any State agency, 11 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 12 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 13 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 14 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 15 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 16 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all 17 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 18 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 19 without such proceedings being instituted. 20 The Director shall make available for public inspection 21 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 22 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 23 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner so 24 that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 25 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 26 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 27 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 28 secrets or other confidential information identified as 29 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 30 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 31 Department shall provide by rule. 32 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 33 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 34 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make -28- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 2 The Director shall make available for public inspection 3 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 4 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 5 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 6 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 7 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 8 Compliance and Administration Fund. 9 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 10 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 11 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 12 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 13 (Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.) 14 Section 45. The Public Utilities Revenue Act is amended 15 by changing Section 11 as follows: 16 (35 ILCS 620/11) (from Ch. 120, par. 478) 17 Sec. 11. All information received by the Department from 18 returns filed under this Act, or from any investigations 19 conducted under this Act, shall be confidential, except for 20 official purposes or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax 21 Collection Suit Act, and any person who divulges any such 22 information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper 23 judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be 24 guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. 25 Provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 26 prevent the Director from publishing or making available to 27 the public the names and addresses of taxpayers filing 28 returns under this Act, or from publishing or making 29 available reasonable statistics concerning the operation of 30 the tax wherein the contents of returns are grouped into 31 aggregates in such a way that the information contained in 32 any individual return shall not be disclosed. -29- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 And provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 2 prevent the Director from making available to the United 3 States Government or any officer or agency thereof, for 4 exclusively official purposes, information received by the 5 Department in the administration of this Act. 6 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 7 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 8 information related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an 9 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 10 The Director may make available to any State agency, 11 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 12 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 13 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 14 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 15 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 16 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all 17 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 18 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 19 without such proceedings being instituted. 20 The Director shall make available for public inspection 21 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 22 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 23 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner so 24 that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 25 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 26 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 27 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 28 secrets or other confidential information identified as 29 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 30 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 31 Department shall provide by rule. 32 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 33 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 34 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make -30- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 2 The Director shall make available for public inspection 3 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 4 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 5 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 6 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 7 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 8 Compliance and Administration Fund. 9 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 10 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 11 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 12 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 13 (Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.) 14 Section 50. The Water Company Invested Capital Tax Act 15 is amended by changing Section 11 as follows: 16 (35 ILCS 625/11) (from Ch. 120, par. 1421) 17 Sec. 11. All information received by the Department from 18 returns filed under this Act, or from any investigations 19 conducted under this Act, shall be confidential, except for 20 official purposes or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax 21 Collection Suit Act, and any person who divulges any such 22 information in any manner, except in accordance with a proper 23 judicial order or as otherwise provided by law, shall be 24 guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. 25 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 26 from publishing or making available to the public the names 27 and addresses of taxpayers filing returns under this Act, or 28 from publishing or making available reasonable statistics 29 concerning the operation of the tax wherein the contents of 30 returns are grouped into aggregates in such a way that the 31 information contained in any individual return shall not be 32 disclosed. -31- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 2 from making available to the United States Government or any 3 officer or agency thereof, for exclusively official purposes, 4 information received by the Department in the administration 5 of this Act. 6 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 7 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 8 information related thereto under this Act is deemed to be an 9 official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 10 The Director may make available to any State agency, 11 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 12 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 13 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 14 Act or pay the tax, penalty and interest shown therein, or 15 has failed to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty or 16 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all 17 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 18 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 19 without such proceedings being instituted. 20 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 21 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 22 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 23 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 24 (Source: P.A. 90-491, eff. 1-1-98.) 25 Section 55. The Telecommunications Excise Tax Act is 26 amended by changing Section 15 as follows: 27 (35 ILCS 630/15) (from Ch. 120, par. 2015) 28 Sec. 15. Confidential information. All information 29 received by the Department from returns filed under this 30 Article, or from any investigations conducted under this 31 Article, shall be confidential, except for official purposes 32 or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax Collection Suit Act, -32- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 and any person who divulges any such information in any 2 manner, except in accordance with a proper judicial order or 3 as otherwise provided by law, shall be guilty of a Class B 4 misdemeanor. 5 Provided, that nothing contained in this Article shall 6 prevent the Director from publishing or making available to 7 the public the names and addresses of retailers or taxpayers 8 filing returns under this Article, or from publishing or 9 making available reasonable statistics concerning the 10 operation of the tax wherein the contents of returns are 11 grouped into aggregates in such a way that the information 12 contained in any individual return shall not be disclosed. 13 And provided, that nothing contained in this Article 14 shall prevent the Director from making available to the 15 United States Government or the government of any other 16 state, or any officer or agency thereof, for exclusively 17 official purposes, information received by the Department in 18 the administration of this Article, if such other 19 governmental agency agrees to divulge requested tax 20 information to the Department. 21 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 22 his authorized agents, for official use, of returns filed and 23 information related thereto under this Article is deemed to 24 be an official purpose within the meaning of this Section. 25 The furnishing of financial information to a municipality 26 that has imposed a tax under the Simplified Municipal 27 Telecommunications Tax Act, upon request of the chief 28 executive thereof, is an official purpose within the meaning 29 of this Section, provided that the municipality agrees in 30 writing to the requirements of this Section. Information so 31 provided shall be subject to all confidentiality provisions 32 of this Section. The written agreement shall provide for 33 reciprocity, limitations on access, disclosure, and 34 procedures for requesting information. -33- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 The Director shall make available for public inspection 2 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 3 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 4 1995. These decisions are to be made available in a manner so 5 that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 6 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 7 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 8 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 9 secrets or other confidential information identified as 10 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 11 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 12 Department shall provide by rule. 13 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 14 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 15 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make 16 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 17 The Director shall make available for public inspection 18 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 19 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 20 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 21 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 22 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 23 Compliance and Administration Fund. 24 Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the Director 25 from divulging information to any person pursuant to a 26 request or authorization made by the taxpayer or by an 27 authorized representative of the taxpayer. 28 (Source: P.A. 92-526, eff. 1-1-03.) 29 Section 57. The Telecommunications Infrastructure 30 Maintenance Fee Act is amended by changing Section 27.25 as 31 follows: 32 (35 ILCS 635/27.25) -34- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 Sec. 27.25. Confidential information; exceptions. All 2 information received by the Department from returns filed 3 under this Act, or from any investigations conducted under 4 this Act, shall be confidential, except for official purposes 5 or pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Tax Collection Suit Act, 6 and any person who divulges any such information in any 7 manner, except in accordance with a proper judicial order or 8 as otherwise provided by law, shall be guilty of a Class B 9 misdemeanor. 10 Provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 11 prevent the Director from publishing or making available to 12 the public the names and addresses of telecommunications 13 retailers filing returns under this Act, or from publishing 14 or making available reasonable statistics concerning the 15 operation of the fees wherein the contents of returns are 16 grouped into aggregates in such a way that the information 17 contained in any individual return shall not be disclosed. 18 And provided, that nothing contained in this Act shall 19 prevent the Director from making available to the United 20 States Government or any officer or agency thereof, for 21 exclusively official purposes, information received by the 22 Department in the administration of this Act. 23 The furnishing upon request of the Auditor General, or 24 his or her authorized agents, for official use, of returns 25 filed and information related thereto under this Act is 26 deemed to be an official purpose within the meaning of this 27 Section. 28 The Director may make available to any State agency, 29 including the Illinois Supreme Court, which licenses persons 30 to engage in any occupation, information that a person 31 licensed by such agency has failed to file returns under this 32 Act or pay the fees, penalty, and interest shown therein, or 33 has failed to pay any final assessment of fees, penalty, or 34 interest due under this Act. An assessment is final when all -35- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 proceedings in court for review of such assessment have 2 terminated or the time for the taking thereof has expired 3 without such proceedings being instituted. 4 The Director shall make available for public inspection 5 in the Department's principal office and for publication, at 6 cost, administrative decisions issued on or after January 1, 7 1998. These decisions are to be made available in a manner 8 so that the following taxpayer information is not disclosed: 9 (1) The names, addresses, and identification 10 numbers of the taxpayer, related entities, and employees. 11 (2) At the sole discretion of the Director, trade 12 secrets or other confidential information identified as 13 such by the taxpayer, no later than 30 days after receipt 14 of an administrative decision, by such means as the 15 Department shall provide by rule. 16 The Director shall determine the appropriate extent of 17 the deletions allowed in paragraph (2). In the event the 18 taxpayer does not submit deletions, the Director shall make 19 only the deletions specified in paragraph (1). 20 The Director shall make available for public inspection 21 and publication an administrative decision within 180 days 22 after the issuance of the administrative decision. The term 23 "administrative decision" has the same meaning as defined in 24 Section 3-101 of Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure. 25 Costs collected under this Section shall be paid into the Tax 26 Compliance and Administration Fund. 27 (Source: P.A. 90-562, eff. 12-16-97.) 28 Section 60. The Tax Collection Suit Act is amended by 29 adding Section 2.5 as follows: 30 (35 ILCS 705/2.5 new) 31 Sec. 2.5. Collection efforts of the Department. In 32 addition to any methods to collect delinquent taxes that are -36- LRB093 02375 SJM 02383 b 1 authorized by the Illinois Income Tax Act, the Department may 2 contract with private collection entities, make public any 3 personal information gathered by the Department, or implement 4 other methods of collection deemed necessary by the 5 Department. 6 Before personal information is made public, the 7 Department shall give a 30-day written notice to the 8 delinquent party. If the delinquent party pays the 9 delinquency or makes arrangements with the Department to pay 10 the delinquency, then the Department shall keep the personal 11 information confidential. 12 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect 13 January 1, 2004.