National Tax Service Appoints 294 Public Defenders for the 5th Term

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kim Hyewon] The National Tax Service announced on the 7th that it has appointed 294 public defenders for the 5th term.

The public defenders selected through an open recruitment process include 241 tax accountants, 29 certified public accountants, and 24 lawyers. They will assist low-income taxpayers in protecting their rights for the next two years. Among the 4th term public defenders, 104 were reappointed.

The public defender system allows low-income taxpayers (individuals with a claimed tax amount of 30 million KRW or less, comprehensive income of 50 million KRW or less, and assets of 500 million KRW or less) to receive free tax representation when filing pre-assessment review requests, objections, or appeals. Since its implementation in 2014, a total of 2,777 low-income taxpayers have received free public defender services.

Since 2020, support has been expanded to include pre-assessment review requests, leading to an increase in the number of cases supported. The number of public defender support cases increased by 67.1%, from 237 cases in 2019 to 396 cases in 2021. As of 2020, the acceptance rate for small cases was 21.0% when a public defender was appointed, compared to 8.6% when no tax representative was appointed.

Public defenders have achieved results such as securing child tax credit payments for a grandfather living with his grandchildren and assisting a taxpayer in adjusting value-added tax losses caused by embezzlement by a corporate executive of a client company. Low-income taxpayers wishing to file tax appeals can apply for the appointment of a public defender at the relevant office at any time, and upon receiving an application, the tax office reviews the eligibility and appoints a public defender.

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