(a) The Franchise Tax Board may enter into agreement with one or more persons for the purpose of collecting delinquent accounts with respect to amounts assessed or imposed under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001), or this part, provided the agreements do not cause the net displacement of civil service employees. The agreement may provide for the rate and manner of payment for the contracted collection services. However, the consideration payable by the Franchise Tax Board under the agreement shall not be included in the amounts to be collected from the tax debtor by the contractor providing collection services.
(b) For purposes of this section, “displacement” includes layoff, demotion, involuntary transfer to a new class, involuntary transfer to a new location requiring a change of residence, and time base reductions. “Displacement” does not include changes in shifts or days off, nor does it include reassignment to any other position within the same class and general location.