Joo Ho-young Vows to Address 'Jongbu Tax Bomb'... Says First CIO Chief Must Have Opposition's Consent

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporters Lee Jieun and Lim Chunhan] Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party, has raised concerns over the sharp increase in the comprehensive real estate holding tax (Jongbu Tax) and vowed to seek solutions for improvement. He also emphasized that the first chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) should be appointed through agreement with the opposition party.

During a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th, Joo stated, "The Moon administration's Jongbu Tax bomb is creating what can only be described as 'Jongbu Tax panic.'"

He said, "With housing prices rising, the government raising the publicly announced prices, and now the Jongbu Tax bomb, the public is becoming increasingly outraged at the Moon administration. The People Power Party will work to come up with improvement measures so that these issues can be resolved before the public is forced into tax resistance and says they can no longer live like this."

Joo further stated, "We have criticized the Moon administration for collecting large sums of money through tax bombs in violation of the principle of no taxation without law, only to use them for populist policies. Even single-home owners cannot avoid the Jongbu Tax bomb, so how can the public not be driven to tax resistance under these circumstances?"

Regarding the CIO chief recommendation committee, he said, "While I welcome the agreement to resume its operation, the Democratic Party's declaration to revise a law that has not even been implemented yet raises concerns that the committee could be convened merely as a formality to create an alibi. According to the law, meetings must continue until a candidate who receives consent as qualified is recommended."

He added, "The first CIO chief should be someone whom the opposition can also agree on, and the recommendation should ensure that no one can say the candidate has a particular inclination or is on a certain side. If the opposition's veto power is removed and a CIO chief is recommended under these circumstances, whoever the candidate is, it will be difficult for the public to accept them."

Joo also remarked, "Yesterday marked the anniversary of the 'Yeonpyeong Island artillery attack,' when North Korea fired over 170 long-range and coastal artillery shells at Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea, taking the lives of two marines and two civilians, and devastating part of the island. It is regrettable that the government seems to be deliberately ignoring such a day."

He pointed out, "Yesterday, President Moon took annual leave without issuing any message, and to make matters worse, Unification Minister Lee Inyoung referred to the 10th anniversary and called it a painful reality of division. The very intention to dilute North Korea's provocation by using neutral terms and blaming it on division is highly questionable."

Regarding the third wave of COVID-19, he said, "The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is reportedly planning to push ahead with a strike and continue rallies tomorrow. The ruling bloc, which harshly criticized the Gwanghwamun and National Foundation Day rallies as hotbeds of mass infection, is now conspicuously silent."

He continued, "During the conservative group's rally in August, the government called the organizers murderers, so why is the response so lukewarm this time? I urge the KCTU to immediately cancel tomorrow's general strike rally, and I also call on President Moon and the authorities to refrain from discriminating against citizens based on political orientation, and to enforce the law with the same rigor as they did for the August 15 and National Foundation Day rallies."