(a) If the mayor, manager, or administrator of a municipality makes a written request, the department shall furnish the mayor, manager, or administrator of the municipality the names of all fisheries businesses that have filed tax returns under this chapter in which the fisheries business listed the municipality as the location in which the fisheries business processed a fisheries resource subject to the tax imposed under this chapter.
(b) If the mayor, manager, or administrator of a municipality makes a written request, the department shall verify that, as to a tax levied and collected by the municipality that is based on the value of fisheries resource processed in or transported to or within the municipality, the value of the fisheries resources reported by a fisheries business to the municipality and the value of the fisheries resources reported by the fisheries business to the department under this chapter are substantially the same. If the values are not substantially the same, the department shall permit the mayor, manager, or administrator of the municipality to inspect tax returns filed by the fisheries business with the department under this chapter, or shall furnish to the municipal officer a copy of the tax returns, if the department determines that the municipality provides adequate safeguards for the confidentiality of the returns and that the returns will be used by the municipality only for purposes of collection of its tax levied and collected on fisheries resources. In this subsection, the value of the fisheries resources reported by the fisheries business to the department and the value reported to the municipality are substantially the same if the values are equal or the variance between them does not exceed one percent of the greater value.