Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Weigookin74]

Oh Korea. Too many taxes?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-02/south-korea-s-crackdown-on-underground-economy-stokes-angst.html

I had heard this country's tax collectors and auditors can be quite aggressive.

[Stan Rogers]

The government has budget issues right now and needs money. They have already raised taxes on the honest tax payers. There are too many business people messing around and not paying their fair share.

The crackdown on tax evaders was long overdue.

[World Traveler]

South Korea is providing more social programs (like free lunches and free daycare). From a libertarian point of view, that sucks. I hope the underground economy and culture of white envelopes doesn't go away/diminish. If it does, that means less money for me.

[Mr. Pink]

While I will admit that small businesses do a lot of skimming to keep some of their profits away from the taxman (or in some cases all profits) the reality is that money gets put into the economy and keeps things going a lot more than the big companies only employing 5% of the workforce do.

Surprised they don't add another tax to soju...that would most likely get them some extra money without having to alienate the middle class, small businesses.

[SeoulNate]

[Stan Rogers]

[World Traveler]

[Norn Iron]

It's amazing that cigarettes and soju are still lightly taxed in Korea......every western government has taxed the bejaysus out of tobacco and alcohol with smug righteousness.

My wife is a Gangnam accountant and she assures me that virtually all the very rich in Korea evade most of their tax all the time. As usual, the middle-class shoulder most of the tax burden.

[caniff]

While the taxes themselves may not be exorbitant in comparison to some places, the soul-sucking factor of waiting and being sent around to various desks/buildings to get a stamp or a copy of something previously provided is a killer.

SK has a major governmental apparatus, and they use it.

(I was at the tax office yesterday afternoon and I was so bored waiting I fed the fish in the tank - the fish seemed to like it and the drones never batted an eye.)

edit: I fed them with the fish-food that was next to the tank, smart-asses!

[Stan Rogers]

[atwood]

As posted above, soju is the obvious place to raise taxes. The government wants to curb drinking and soju is the world's, not just Korea's, most imbibed alcohol.

When I worked at Samsung, all of the employees complained about taxes. They felt office workers were the ones paying all the taxes, while doctors, etc. skirted the law.

[Joe Boxer]

[Captain Corea]

[Chaparrastique]

[liveinkorea316]

The problem with most taxes is that they can be avoided. The higher government makes them the more people avoid it.

There is only one kind of tax that cannot be avoided.