Pay Your Overdue Taxes! ... Gyeongnam Province Eradicates 'Foreigners' Tax Delinquency'

Gyeongnam Provincial Government. / Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do will make every effort to collect delinquent local taxes from foreigners from the 1st of this month until October 31.

According to Gyeongnam Province, as of the end of July this year, there are 39,689 cases of delinquent local taxes by foreigners in the province, totaling 1.73 billion KRW.

By city and county, Gimhae-si, which has many industrial complexes, accounts for 700 million KRW, or 40.4% of the total, followed by Changwon-si with 280 million KRW (16.1%), and Yangsan-si with 180 million KRW (10.4%).

Among these, delinquent automobile taxes account for 64.7% of the total, amounting to 1.12 billion KRW, and local income tax accounts for 180 million KRW, or 10.4%, making up most of the delinquent amount.

Gyeongnam Province operates a comprehensive foreigner local tax delinquency cleanup period to encourage payment and establishes an organic cooperation system with cities and counties to carry out efficient collection activities.

First, the province checks the residence of delinquent foreigners living in the province, organizes their personal information, and sends delinquency notices to induce voluntary payment.

They promptly secure claims by checking the delinquent party’s assets, and in cases of unpaid automobile taxes, they take measures such as removing license plates and seizing vehicles.

The province plans to actively promote a system that restricts residence extension if foreigners do not pay delinquent local taxes when applying for residence permits at the Ministry of Justice for visa extensions.

The policy aims to raise the tax payment awareness of delinquent foreigners and firmly collect chronic delinquent amounts.

For high-amount and habitual foreign tax delinquents, officials plan to visit them directly to explain the details of their local tax delinquency and encourage payment.

Shim Sangcheol, head of the Taxation Division, said, “We will enhance the tax payment awareness of foreigners who frequently change residences and whose claims are difficult to secure, and restrict residence extensions for high-amount and habitual delinquents,” adding, “We will realize tax justice by increasing fairness with sincere taxpayers.”

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