Korean Job Discussion Forums

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

I got a call from the post office Saturday saying they have a package my parents sent me. They said it's clothes and a digital camera, and that I must pay about a 44,000 won tax when they deliver it to my hagwon Monday. Is that normal? I got a package from my parents before and paid no tax.

What happens if I refuse to pay the tax and just take the package and tell the delivery guy to *beep* off?

Thanks,
Q.

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

in canada there is no duty on gifts. it's a gift, fer chrissakes.

when i used to order records from american punk labels they'd always label the package "gift" and i didn't have to pay duty.

not that korea is known for being all that sane, but it seems rather insane to force you to pay tax on a gift.

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

Why should a gift be tax-free?

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

Why would a gift be tax-free?

chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

jacl · Joined: 31 Oct 2005

Doubt the post office is out to screw people over. Besides, 44,000 for clothes and a video camera is well worth it.

But, I'm like you. I'd be asking.

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

Does anyone know why duties are issued for mail? It seems completely unfair to me. Why should I pay to receive certain things but not others? It makes no sense.

All I can think of is that the purpose would be to prevent people from importing cheaply-purchased goods and reselling them here for profit. Is that the reason for duties?

If so, then it seems Wangja��'s question would have an answer after all, in that a gift is not for resell. But, of course, it would be impossible to prove such.

jacl · Joined: 31 Oct 2005

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

I found this page, which says my camera is subject to 20% total duty. There are some exemptions listed, but it doesn't say anything about gifts.

jacl · Joined: 31 Oct 2005

I looked at that quickly. I didn't see anything about gifts either. The only experience I have with that is between Canada and the US.

I've gotten a few parcels here and in Taiwan with clothes and bathroom products. I didn't have to pay a tax. Probably no tax on those items. Could have to do with weight in some cases as well.

Could this have been paid at the sender's end? I think that all duties/taxes, etc. were paid by the sender in my case. Not sure how that works.

huck · Joined: 19 Jan 2003

I don't think it matters if they claim it's a gift. Otherwise, you could claim everything is a gift, and no one would ever pay duty tax. I had a new laptop sent over, and my brother marked it down as a used gift, but I still had to pay. Just assume that you have to pay duty taxes on anything over a certain amount.....

And if it's an electronic item, even if you lie about how much it's worth, sometimes before they give it to you, they're going to check online and find out how much it's really worth, and charge you that amount. Luckily for me, they looked up my laptop, and found a bare essentials one....so it was actually worth less than my brother claimed, when really it was worth about double what he said.