[2020 National Audit] Kim Du-kwan "One person received 13 times over 5 years... Concerns over full-time Separatchi"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] On the 22nd, Kim Doo-kwan, a member of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, revealed that the amount of rewards received for reporting tax evasion, which is currently being implemented, has been increasing every year, leading to a rise in so-called full-time tax evasion informants known as "separatchi."

According to data submitted by the National Tax Service to Representative Kim, the amount of rewards received for tax evasion reports last year was 14.964 billion KRW, showing an annual increase compared to 11.489 billion KRW in 2017 and 12.521 billion KRW in 2018.

The number of tax evasion reports also surged sharply. Last year, there were 22,444 tax evasion reports, a significant increase compared to 15,628 in 2017 and 20,319 in 2018. This is interpreted as a substantial increase since 2018, when the maximum reward limit and payment rate were raised.

The number of cases receiving multiple rewards also increased. From 2015 to 2019, there were 44 cases where one person received rewards two or more times, including one individual who received rewards a total of 13 times. The top 100 recipients by reward amount from 2017 to September 2019 received a total of 18.331 billion KRW.

Representative Kim pointed out, "The number of duplicate reward receipts for reports is steadily increasing every year, raising concerns about the proliferation of separatchi who make tax evasion reporting their full-time occupation."