Budget Committee "Telecommunication Fee Support Should Consider Telecom Companies' Advance Payment" (Update)

The photo shows a telecommunications store in downtown Seoul on the 10th. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seul-gi] Regarding the '20,000 KRW communication fee support for all citizens aged 13 and over,' the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts (Budget Committee) pointed out that a prepayment method by mobile carriers should be considered.

On the 15th, the Budget Committee released a supplementary budget review report, stating, "Since the communication fee support effectively compensates for the mobile carriers' sales revenue, it is necessary to consider a plan where carriers bear part of the discount amount first and then are compensated through tax support or other methods."

It added, "Compared to disaster relief funds, there will be an indirect income compensation effect of 20,000 KRW per person," but also explained, "By reducing cases of overdue or unpaid bills, there could be an effect where the government budget supports the carriers' sales losses."

The report noted, "Children under 13 are excluded from the support, but considering that remote classes are being implemented from elementary school, the age criteria selection is somewhat insufficient."

Furthermore, regarding the 'Temporary Communication Fee Discount Support Center,' budgeted at about 900 million KRW for the 20,000 KRW communication fee support, the report expressed the opinion that "its necessity is low" and recommended downsizing it.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.