National Affairs: The New Commissioner

Housewives in six New England states were surprised last month to meet a new breed of bill collector—Internal Revenue Service agents, who traveled from door to door with a sometimes embarrassing question: Had the occupant paid his federal taxes? If the answer was yes, the canvassers asked for proof—a receipt, return or canceled check. If no evidence was available, the agents took down names & addresses to check against the service's records. If delinquency was admitted, the agents were happy to accept on-the-spot payments. Door-slammers were likely to be visited by another kind...