Tax Arrears of 80.5 Billion Won... Seoul City to Enforce Travel Ban on 143 High-Value Tax Delinquents

If Finalized by the Legal Department, Departure Ban for 6 Months

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has designated 143 high-amount tax delinquents who have overdue local taxes of 30 million won or more as subjects of travel bans. The total amount of their delinquent taxes reaches 80.5 billion won.

On the 19th, the city announced that since March, it conducted a comprehensive investigation on 1,102 delinquents with combined overdue amounts of 30 million won or more across the city and autonomous districts, checking for valid passport possession, immigration records, and living conditions, and finalized the travel ban list.

The travel ban applies to those who have overdue local taxes of 30 million won or more without justifiable reasons. According to the Immigration Control Act, the head of the local government can request a travel ban for a period of up to six months. Once the Ministry of Justice finalizes the travel ban list, the subjects will be prohibited from traveling abroad for six months starting from the 21st.

The total amount of delinquent taxes for the 143 subjects of this travel ban measure is 80.5 billion won. They were selected as final subjects after investigations including overseas entry and exit records and children’s overseas studies.

Seoul entrusts the Korea Customs Service with the seizure of goods imported by high-amount habitual tax delinquents whose names have been publicly disclosed. The Customs Service seizes high-value goods carried by these delinquents upon entry, and withholds or seizes overseas direct purchase imports and other imported goods. After entrusting seizure to the Customs Service last year, the city collected 45 million won from 20 high-amount delinquents by seizing carried-in goods, express shipments, and imported items.

Oh Se-woo, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Tax Collection Division 38, stated, "We plan to focus investigations on delinquents who evade tax obligations while traveling abroad or sending their children to study overseas after COVID-19," adding, "We will establish fair tax justice through strong tax collection against high-amount delinquents so that sincere taxpayers do not feel relatively deprived."