State Agency Discloses Confidential Tax Data

California’s tax collection agency is looking into how one of its employees disclosed in an e-mail confidential tax information about more than 200 corporations, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

“This matter has been turned over to our disclosure section, and we’re notifying the companies,” said Denise Azimi, a spokeswoman for the state’s Franchise Tax Board.

An employee accidentally sent the spreadsheet by e-mail Wednesday outside the agency, including the Sacramento Bee newspaper, the Bee said. The newspaper reported that the spreadsheet described information regarding tax audits.

Among the companies listed on the spreadsheet was City National Corp., the Beverly Hills, California parent of City National Bank, the Bee said. The company was not immediately available to comment.

“Clearly, this is an unfortunate incident,” said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for state Finance Director Michael Genest, a member of the state tax collection agency’s board.