Seongdong-gu Receives Applause for KakaoTalk 'Local Tax Refund' Service

Taxpayers Receiving Local Tax Refund Notices Can Apply by Searching 'Seongdong-gu Local Tax Refund' on KakaoTalk and Sending Refund Number, Name, and Bank Account Number (in Own Name) via 1:1 Chat

Starting from the 15th, you can conveniently receive local tax refund services via smartphone.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) will implement the ‘KakaoTalk Refund Application Service’ starting from the 15th to enable Seongdong-gu residents to easily receive their refund payments.

Local tax refunds mostly arise from reasons such as vehicle tax prepayment followed by scrapping or ownership transfer, national tax adjustments of local income tax, and double payments. Until now, when refunds occurred, notification letters were immediately sent to eligible recipients to apply for the refund.

However, as of the end of January this year, there remain 1,254 cases of unclaimed refunds over the past year, amounting to 80 million KRW.

In particular, it was found that 86.5% of unclaimed refunds are for amounts under 100,000 KRW, indicating that low interest in small refunds is a major cause of unclaimed funds.

Additionally, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing demand to expand non-face-to-face refund application methods, and the increase in smartphone usage has heightened the need to introduce refund application methods through various SNS platforms.

Accordingly, to enhance taxpayer convenience, the district has sought a convenient and easy refund method by opening the KakaoTalk channel ‘Seongdong-gu Local Tax Refund’ and allowing users to add the channel via QR code.

Instead of taxpayers who received the existing refund notification having to apply for refund accounts via phone, fax, or text message, or accessing the internet or smartphone apps to apply, they can now receive refunds easily without the procedures of filling out and sending refund applications, which is expected to greatly contribute to the settlement of refunds.

Taxpayers who received the local tax refund notification can search for ‘Seongdong-gu Local Tax Refund’ on KakaoTalk and apply by sending their refund number, name, and bank account number (in their own name) through one-on-one chat.

Afterwards, the person in charge verifies the information, and the deposit is completed within 1 to 3 business days, allowing taxpayers to directly confirm the prompt refund process.

Applying for local tax refunds via KakaoTalk eliminates the need to fill out refund account application forms, reducing postal costs as well as text and phone communication fees, making it reasonable from a social cost perspective.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “The KakaoTalk refund application system is a tax administration service aligned with the times to protect taxpayers’ rights and facilitate tax payment convenience. We will continue to strive to provide various services suitable for a smart inclusive city to taxpayers.”

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