HRS § 231-82 - Special enforcement section; functions, powers, and duties

The special enforcement section shall have the following functions, powers, and duties: (1) Investigate reported or suspected violations of tax laws for civil enforcement purposes, including through covert means, with a stated priority of investigating cash-based businesses as defined in section 231-93; (2) Enforce the tax laws by issuing, enforcing, or executing citations, fines, infractions, assessments, liens, levies, writs, warrants, injunctions, or other process; (3) Serve as fraud referral specialists to assist in the development and review of fraud cases for appropriate disposition of potentially fraudulent activities, including referral to criminal investigators and assessment of civil fraud penalties; provided that personnel assigned to the special enforcement section may not participate in any criminal investigation; (4) Organize and hold public informational meetings on issues of tax laws, including compliance deficiencies in segments of the economy, and undertake any other activities to encourage taxpayers, practitioners, or others to maintain responsibility and compliance with their tax obligations; (5) Coordinate with other sections or divisions within the department of taxation, other departments or branches of the state government, any branches of the county government, or the federal government on matters relating to civil enforcement of the tax laws, including joint investigations, information-sharing arrangements, or concurrent collection efforts; provided that personnel assigned to the special enforcement section may not participate in any criminal investigation; (6) Compile information received by third parties, including taxpayers, competitors, government agencies, confidential sources, or public sources and delegate this information within the department for proper handling. Proper handling may include referral internally to other civil or criminal enforcement sections; (7) Conduct investigations, research, and studies of matters relevant to the complex or sensitive civil enforcement of the tax laws; and (8) Perform such other acts as may be incidental to the exercise of the functions, powers, and duties set forth in this section or as otherwise directed by the director of taxation. [L 2009, c 134, pt of §2, §13(3); am L 2013, c 58, §1]