What methods of contact will the external collection agencies use?
In collecting debt on behalf of the Tax Office, the external collection agencies use a range of debt collection methods including initial contact by letter, followed by subsequent telephone and letter contact. Letters issued by the external collection agencies include taxpayers’ tax file numbers as the letter reference number. While this has raised some privacy and secrecy concerns amongst tax agents, use of tax file numbers in this way is in line with tax law. The law allows the provision to, and use by, third parties where those third parties have been appointed to carry out a duty or function under a tax law. In making contact by phone, the officers for the external collection agencies are required to identify themselves and their agency. They have also been provided with appropriate scripting to address concerns of taxpayers and tax agents about debts being referred to an external collection agency. While the contract does allow for weekday and weekend contact, the external collect
