Revenue Officer

Definition of 'Revenue Officer'

An individual who collects revenues such as taxes and duties on behalf of the government. A revenue officer is generally employed by a government agency such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States, or the Canada Revenue Agency in Canada. Some organizations have a position known as Chief Revenue Officer, who is a person responsible for all revenue-generating functions and also oversees the strategy for profitable revenue generation over the long term.

Investopedia explains 'Revenue Officer'

The specific duties of a Revenue Officer depend on the agency that employs him or her.

In the IRS, for instance, the primary responsibility of Revenue Officers is collecting delinquent taxes and overdue tax returns from taxpayers. Their duties therefore include conducting face-to-face interviews with taxpayers, obtaining and analyzing financial information to ascertain their ability to pay the tax bill, designing payment plans to help those with tax arrears pay them over time, and garnishing wages and seizing personal property to pay off delinquent taxes.

Excise tax revenue officers in Canada, on the other hand, have more of an audit, advisory and legal role.