▲ The KOSPI and SK Hynix stock prices are displayed at the dealing room of Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 13th, following SK Hynix's entry into Nasdaq through an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) listing.
National tax revenue for the first half of this year rose by 33 trillion won compared to last year, driven by increases in earned income tax due to performance bonuses and a rise in stock trading.
According to the "Current Status of National Tax Revenue in June 2026" released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 31st, national taxes collected last month amounted to 23.1 trillion won.
This is an increase of 5.5 trillion won (31.1%) from a year earlier.
The favorable tax revenue was thanks to increases in the securities transaction tax, income tax, and corporate tax.
The securities transaction tax stood at 1.4 trillion won, up 1.2 trillion won from a year ago.
The growth rate compared to the same month last year was 482.2%.
Trading value for listed stocks skyrocketed by 1.521 trillion won (389.9%) year-on-year to 1,911.2 trillion won in May, driving the increase in tax revenue.
The restoration of the securities transaction tax rate also had an impact.
The special tax for rural development also rose by 1.7 trillion won (219.5%) to 2.4 trillion won, bolstered by an increase in KOSPI trading value.
Income tax collected increased by 1.4 trillion won (18.2%) to 8.9 trillion won.
This was influenced by an increase in earned income tax due to higher total salary payments, and a rise in capital gains tax due to increased housing transactions.
Housing sales transactions reached 69,800 units in April, up 6.6% from a year earlier.
Corporate tax increased by 400 billion won (19.5%) to 2.7 trillion won, affected by an increase in the number of deferred corporate tax payments finalized in March.
Value-added tax and customs duties rose by 400 billion won (28.8%) and 200 billion won (29.2%) to 1.9 trillion won and 700 billion won, respectively, due to an increase in import values.
Import values reached 66.08 billion dollars last month, up 30.0% from a year earlier.
Inheritance and gift tax (1.5 trillion won), individual consumption tax (600 billion won), and comprehensive real estate holding tax (1.2 trillion won) each increased by 100 billion won.
The growth rates were 4.2%, 24.6%, and 11.9%, respectively.
The traffic, energy, and environment tax decreased by 100 billion won (11.5%) to 900 billion won.
Cumulative national tax revenue for January to June stood at 223 trillion won, up 33 trillion won (17.4%) from a year earlier.
The growth rate was the highest since 2022 (20.1%).
The budget execution rate against this year's budget reflecting the supplementary budget (415.4 trillion won) is 53.7%.
This is higher than in June of last year (49.7%) and June 2024 (45.9%), ranking as the second highest in the past five years.
Income tax revenue rose by 10.4 trillion won (15.9%) to 75.7 trillion won.
This was driven by an increase in earned income tax resulting from higher performance bonuses and a rise in capital gains tax due to increased real estate transaction volumes.
Corporate tax collections increased by 4.3 trillion won (9.6%) to 49.3 trillion won, influenced by improved corporate performance.
Value-added tax revenue recorded 44.8 trillion won, up 4.9 trillion won (12.2%), affected by increased import values and lower tax refunds.
The securities transaction tax reached 6.8 trillion won, up 5.2 trillion won (338.7%), due to increases in stock trading volume and the tax rate restoration.
The traffic tax amounted to 6.5 trillion won, up 300 billion won (4.7%), influenced by the partial restoration of flexible oil tax rates.
Regarding the outlook for tax revenue in the second half of the year, an official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance forecasted, "The tax revenue collected so far does not yet reflect the operating profits and related performance bonuses from the semiconductor sector, which is currently experiencing a super-boom," adding, "They will be reflected sequentially starting from the interim corporate tax payments in August."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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