(a) No confidential information obtained by a tax preparer, in his or her professional capacity, concerning a client or a prospective client shall be disclosed by the tax preparer without the written permission of the client or prospective client, except for the following:
(1) Disclosures made by a tax preparer in compliance with a subpoena or a summons enforceable by order of a court.
(2) Disclosures made by a tax preparer regarding a client or prospective client to the extent the tax preparer reasonably believes it is necessary to maintain or defend himself or herself in a legal proceeding initiated by the client or prospective client.
(3) Disclosures made by a tax preparer in response to an official inquiry from a federal or state government regulatory agency.
(4) Disclosures made by a tax preparer or to a tax preparer’s duly authorized representative to another tax preparer in connection with a proposed sale or merger of the tax preparer’s professional practice.
(5) Disclosures made by a tax preparer to either of the following:
(A) Another tax preparer to the extent necessary for purposes of professional consultation.
(B) Organizations that provide professional standards review and ethics or quality control peer review.
(6) Disclosures made when specifically required by law.
(b) In the event that confidential client information may be disclosed to persons or entities outside the United States of America in connection with the services provided, the tax preparer shall inform the client in writing and obtain the client’s written permission for the disclosure.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that this section complement and does not replace Section 17530.5 as applied to tax preparers by subdivision (f) of Section 1799.1a of the Civil Code.
(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 921, Sec. 16. Effective January 1, 2005. Repealed as of January 1, 2023, pursuant to Section 22259.)