Cross examination rights in tax proceedings protect taxpayers when third party seized evidence is used against them.
The core issue is whether reliance on third party seized documents and an employee's statement to attribute unaccounted interest to the assessee was permissible without permitting cross examination or testing a retraction affidavit. Denial of the opportunity to confront the declarant engages principles of natural justice, and indirect evidence requires direct inquiry and corroboration before adverse tax findings can be sustained.