IRS Employees Continue Strong Collection Work

At a time when the Internal Revenue Service is contracting out a significant share of its work, its in-house staff continues to outshine private collectors in producing a strong return on the agency dollar.

The IRS's 2006 Data Book shows that IRS staffers spent just 42 cents - down from 46 a year earlier - for every $100 they collected in tax revenue during fiscal 2006, which ended last Sept. 30 for the Federal Government.

More Bang for Buck

National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley contrasted the efficiency and savings of the in-house program with the IRS's decision to pay private collectors up to 25 percent of every dollar they bring in from delinquent tax-payers.

She said in a March 20 statement that the IRS report "reflects favorably on the professionalism and dedication of IRS employees, and provides further strong support for abandonment by the IRS of its misguided program using private-sector debt collectors ... It is abundantly clear that no one can match the ability and efficiency of IRS employees when it comes to collecting the revenue the government needs to fund the broad range of programs and services the public wants, needs, and deserves." About 94,000 of the NTEU's 150,000 members are employed by the IRS.