"Left Home to Care for Grandchildren"... Over 2,500 Complaints in Five Days

[Anchor]

In less than a week since the real estate tax reform proposal was announced, more than 2,500 complaints have been filed with the government. In particular, there has been a strong backlash regarding the requirements for recognizing actual residency. Some citizens complain that their tax burden will increase simply because they moved to help raise their grandchildren.

Reporter Jeon Hyeong-u has the details.

[Reporter]

Within five days of the real estate tax reform proposal being legislatively announced on the 4th, more than 2,500 legislative opinions were submitted.

While opinions mainly focused on excessive increases in the comprehensive real estate holding tax burden, requests to expand the criteria for recognizing actual residency also continued.

The current reform proposal includes an exception clause that recognizes a three-year residency period even for non-residents if special circumstances are acknowledged.

These include children's education, job changes, school transfers, and supporting elderly parents, and opinions have emerged urging that childcare be included among these reasons.

Grandparents who move into or near their children's homes to take care of their grandchildren may become non-resident single-homeowners, leading to a significant increase in property taxes. They are asking for these circumstances to be reflected.

[Non-resident Single-Homeowner: Since we were going to take care of (the grandchildren) anyway, we moved so we could be close by. We aren't moving around to make a fortune. We are retirees living off our pensions.]

However, some point out that a cautious approach is needed, as expanding the grounds for recognizing actual residency could also increase the possibility of gap investments exploiting the loophole.

While gathering opinions on the tax reform proposal, the Democratic Party decided to hold the first meeting of its internal housing market stabilization task force this week.

[Han Jeong-ae, Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea: We will listen to various voices, gather opinions, and go through the process accordingly.]

The government plans to submit the final plan, formulated through party-government consultations following a legislative notice period until the 20th, to the National Assembly before the 3rd of next month.

Additionally, as early as this week, the government plans to announce additional housing supply measures and financial support plans for the Seoul metropolitan area.

(Camera Reporter: Choi Jun-shik | Video Editor: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.