National Tax Service reports rising revenue and increased enforcement

During a National Assembly audit, National Tax Service Commissioner Lim Kwang-hyun reported that cumulative tax revenue through August reached 323.8 trillion won, an increase of 68.6 trillion won compared to the previous year. This growth was largely driven by corporate taxes due to improved business performance in sectors like semiconductors.

Commissioner Lim emphasized plans to strengthen collection efforts against high-value tax delinquents and crack down on tax evasion involving real estate, capital markets, and the private use of corporate assets. He also announced the creation of a special task force to track intelligent offshore tax evasion.

Data revealed significant trends in specific sectors. Media content creators, including YouTubers, collected approximately 165 billion won in donations during the first half of the year, showing high income polarization where 19 individuals earned over 1 billion won each. Additionally, investigations into real estate funding sources showed a sharp increase in regional offices outside of Seoul, accounting for 87.7% of the total increase in investigations, prompting calls to ensure these audits target speculators rather than local homeowners.