(1) Notwithstanding any other law, information obtained as a result of a merchant's efforts to comply with this part is confidential and, unless obtained independently from any acts undertaken by a merchant to comply with the tax levied by this part, such acts, including the taxpayer's maintenance of a suit to determine liability under the tax levied by this part, may not be disclosed by the commissioner or used in a criminal prosecution other than a prosecution for a violation of this part.
(2) Chapter 1, part 17, of this title, including the criminal penalties specified therein, shall apply to the tax levied under this part, except that no information shall be disclosed pursuant to chapter 1, part 17, of this title unless that information was obtained independently from any acts undertaken by a merchant to comply with the tax levied by this part, such acts including the taxpayer's maintenance of a suit to determine liability under the tax levied by this part.
(3) This section does not prohibit the commissioner from publishing statistics that do not disclose the identity of merchants or the contents of particular returns or reports.