National Tax Service Launches Nationwide Effort to Address 130 Trillion Won in Arrears

▲ National Tax Service (NTS)

The National Tax Service (NTS) has launched a nationwide initiative to verify the status of 130 trillion won in outstanding tax arrears and manage them through tailored approaches.

The NTS announced today (July 8) that it has formed a dedicated task force for managing national tax and non-tax revenue arrears across 133 local tax offices, officially activating a field-oriented system to verify the status of delinquent taxpayers.

The task force, consisting of 5,500 field investigators, will operate for six months until December 23. Their goal is to verify the status of 1.34 million national tax delinquents and 4.24 million non-tax revenue (such as fines and surcharges) delinquents, covering a total of 130 trillion won in unpaid amounts.

The task force will notify individuals of their arrears through telephone consultations and visit their registered addresses or places of business to assess their living conditions.

Rather than focusing solely on collection, the initiative aims to categorize delinquents based on their economic circumstances and provide customized management.

For those facing genuine financial hardship, the task force will provide information on the system for discharging tax payment obligations and facilitate connections to welfare services.

For those experiencing temporary liquidity issues, they will offer guidance on installment payment plans to help them recover.

For individuals who intentionally evade payment despite these efforts, the NTS will take strict measures, including tracking investigations by dedicated officials.

The collection of non-tax revenues, which had previously been handled individually by various government ministries, is being consolidated under the NTS this year. As a preliminary step, the task force will begin by verifying the status of fines issued by the National Police Agency.

The field investigators, who were hired through a competitive process with an average ratio of 4.5 to 1 (2,500 for national tax and 3,000 for non-tax revenue), completed practical training from July 1 to 7 on topics such as taxpayer interaction protocols and confidentiality obligations.

NTS Commissioner Lim Kwang-hyun, who served as a lecturer during the training held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on July 3, stated, "This task force offers a five-fold benefit: upholding tax justice, securing fiscal revenue, creating jobs, resolving arrears, and connecting people to welfare services." He added, "I will provide full support so that our field investigators can take pride in their work."

In a video message played at launch ceremonies held at 133 tax offices nationwide, Commissioner Lim urged the team, saying, "The achievements you build in the field will serve as foundational data for future arrears management. I hope you will carry out your roles with pride and a strong sense of responsibility."

The Commissioner also personally visited the Bukdaejeon Tax Office to encourage the task force members.

The NTS stated, "By establishing a field-oriented arrears management system through this task force, we plan to lead a major transformation in arrears management and leap forward as an integrated fiscal revenue agency for national fiscal innovation." The agency added, "We will contribute to increasing national income by creating public sector jobs nationwide and serve as a reliable partner that offers mutually beneficial solutions by connecting those in financial difficulty with welfare programs."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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