[Anchor]

It is Tuesday Economy, and reporter Han Jiyeon is here with us. Han, what do you have for us today?

[Reporter]

Grievances regarding air transport services have nearly doubled over the past three years.

Among them, cancellations and refunds accounted for close to 60%.

Looking at a case, a consumer preparing for a trip to Da Nang booked seven round-trip airline tickets for 2.92 million won through a travel agency, but when they canceled them five days later, 770,000 won was deducted as a fee.

Consumers often do not realize that when purchasing through travel agencies or OTAs (online travel agencies), additional fees charged separately by the travel agency can be added on top of the airlines' official fees.

Therefore, if there is even the slightest possibility of a schedule change, you must check the cancellation and change fees before purchasing airline tickets.

[Anchor]

That definitely calls for caution.

[Reporter]

There were also numerous cases where corrections to names or procedures were refused, or luggage was damaged without compensation.

First is the name correction procedure.

A consumer purchased three Incheon-Istanbul airline tickets for 2.18 million won through a travel agency, but the English name of one of the companions was misspelled.

Even though the airline's terms and conditions allowed for the English spelling to be corrected, the travel agency refused to change it, claiming that corrections cannot be made once ticketing is completed.

Therefore, when making a reservation, you must check the English name on your passport so that not a single letter is wrong.

The second issue is checked baggage damage.

Out of 131 related grievances last year, damage was the most common with 103 cases.

One consumer requested compensation after a suitcase checked in as baggage was damaged, but the request was denied on the grounds that general scratches and wear and tear that do not impair functionality are not eligible for compensation.

So, it is best to put a cover on your suitcase if possible, and place fragile items like golf clubs in a hard case.

If your baggage is damaged, you must obtain a damage confirmation certificate right at the airport before leaving.

Lastly, there are established compensation standards when flights are delayed due to the airline's fault.

For international flights, passengers can receive compensation of 10% of the fare for delays between 2 and 4 hours, 20% for 4 to 12 hours, and up to 30% for delays exceeding 12 hours.

However, if it is proven that the airline is not at fault—such as due to adverse weather conditions, airport circumstances, or unforeseeable safety measures—they may be excluded from compensation.

[Anchor]

The last topic is about the comprehensive real estate holding tax.

[Reporter]

The National Tax Service has decided to calculate and notify 8,600 individuals who own a single home under joint ownership with their spouses about which taxation method is more advantageous to them.

When a married couple jointly owns a single home, there are two ways to pay the comprehensive real estate holding tax.

One is to pay based on the joint ownership as is, and the other is to apply for a special exception designating one spouse as the taxpayer and calculating the tax under the single-home household method.

The two methods differ in deduction amounts and tax calculation formulas.

Under joint ownership, each spouse receives a 9 million won deduction, totaling 18 million won, but there are no additional reductions based on age or holding period.

On the other hand, if you apply for the special exception, the deduction amount decreases to 12 million won, but instead, age-based reductions apply: up to 20% for those over 60, 30% for those over 65, and 40% for those over 70.

Regarding the holding period, reductions apply as follows: 20% for over 5 years, 40% for over 10 years, and 50% for over 15 years.

By combining these two, taxes can be reduced by up to 80%.

For example, if you are over 70 and have held the property for more than 15 years, you can receive the maximum 80% reduction by combining the 40% age deduction and the 50% holding period deduction.

Previously, taxpayers had to run simulations themselves on Hometax to make a decision.

After analyzing taxpayer data, the National Tax Service found that about 5,700 people would benefit from applying for the special exception, while about 2,900 people would benefit from canceling their existing special exception.

These 8,600 individuals will individually receive a notice containing their most advantageous estimated tax amount via mobile or mail.

If those who receive the notice apply or cancel between tomorrow and 30 days from then, the advantageous tax amount will be reflected in the regular November tax bill.

Even if you miss this period, you can re-file using the advantageous method during the regular comprehensive real estate holding tax reporting period in December.

The National Tax Service also plans to separately identify and issue refunds to individuals who paid excess taxes in the past due to a lack of awareness of this system.