Tax enforcement schemes are conceived, enacted, and executed by governments because they have a monopoly over the taxing power. If private profiteers are allowe

Tax enforcement schemes are conceived, enacted, and executed by governments because they have a monopoly over the taxing power. If private profiteers are allowed to exploit local citizens, it is strictly because the entity holding that power has deliberately chosen to set up an enforcement scheme that arms those predators with everything they need to conduct their exploitation. The vultures, despicable as they are, would be powerless to do anything to delinquent but for being armed for the task by the enabling government. Is this abusive? Yes, it is massively abusive. But the remedy needs to go to the source of the abuse and that source is a faceless, uncaring local government that has elevated cost-savings over fairness and, when caught as it has been here, is trying to pretend that it can impose a few regulations at the edges to solve the problem. The real solution is to bring the enforcement back in-house where it historically resided and then collection procedures can be controlled and made fair to citizens. But, of course, that would vitiate the cost savings to the governmental entity from which it benefits under its current system. It should do it but don't hold your breath waiting for reform. It is much easier to blame the outside vultures (who are of course eminently blameworthy), impose a few patches to pretend to deal with the abuse, and go on with business as usual. Whichever way reform is done, if it is at all, one can only hope that it will be real and meaningful but I suspect it will not. Very sad to see the tragic consequences.