LINDA WERTHEIMER, host: NPR's business news starts with the tax man - he cometh himself.</s>LINDA WERTHEIMER, host: The Internal Revenue Service says it's ending the controversial practice of outsourcing tax collection to private debt collectors. Now, only IRS employees will chase down delinquent taxpayers. The IRS started using private companies in 2006, mostly to bring in small, undisputed debt. In announcing his decision, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman cited an independent study showing that in-house tax collection costs less. He says he's hiring more than a thousand new tax collectors this year.
The Internal Revenue Service says it's ending the controversial practice of outsourcing tax collection to private debt collectors. The IRS started using private companies in 2006, mostly to bring in small undisputed debts. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman cited an independent study showing that in-house tax collection costs less. Shulman said he's hiring more than a thousand new tax collectors this year.