11 Billion Won Tax Imposed After Regular Tax Audit
Agency States "Difference in Tax Law Interpretation"
Recently, actors Lee Ha-nui, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Lee Joon-gi received tax reassessment notices amounting to several hundred million won from tax authorities, and Jo Jin-woong also received a tax bill of 1.1 billion won.
Jo Jin-woong's agency, Saram Entertainment, stated on the 22nd, "During a regular tax audit by the tax authorities, approximately 1.1 billion won in taxes was imposed," and added, "We respected the tax authorities' decision and have paid the full amount of the imposed tax."
They repeatedly emphasized that it was not intentional tax evasion but arose from differences in legal interpretation. Jo Jin-woong established a corporation and has been reporting and paying corporate tax on the corporation's income according to standard tax procedures, but the tax authorities regarded this as subject to personal income tax. The agency explained, "The issue was whether the income of the corporation established by Jo Jin-woong should be subject to personal income tax, which stemmed from differences in interpretation and application of tax law between the tax representative and the tax authorities."
Regarding the tax authorities' decision, they described it as "a decision contrary to the tax practices at the time and a contentious issue with differing opinions among experts and academia," adding, "We cautiously filed an appeal with the Tax Tribunal to receive a legal judgment, and the hearing is currently underway."
Recurring Celebrity Tax Evasion Allegations... Lee Ha-nui Faces Criminal Complaint
Recently, there have been consecutive cases where tax authorities have reassessed taxes on celebrities who established corporations and paid taxes through them. Previously, actor Lee Ha-nui was notified of tax reassessments amounting to around 6 billion won, while Yoo Yeon-seok and Lee Joon-gi were notified of reassessments of approximately 7 billion won and 900 million won, respectively.
In particular, a criminal complaint regarding tax evasion and embezzlement/misappropriation allegations against Lee Ha-nui was filed through the National Petition System. The complaint reportedly includes that Lee was imposed a 6 billion won tax reassessment following a tax audit, and that the corporation 'Hope Project' paid 2.7 billion won in salaries despite having no regular employees from 2021 to 2023. Notably, questions were raised about the source of funds as the corporation, which had a capital of only 10 million won at its establishment, purchased real estate worth approximately 6.5 billion won under the corporation's name within two years of its founding.
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