In the first seven months of this year, inquiries submitted to the National Tax Service regarding capital gains tax, comprehensive real estate tax, and inheritance and gift tax have exceeded 90% of last year's total. As the number of inquiries has increased, so has the number of unanswered cases.
According to data received by Lee Jong-wook, a member of the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Committee from the People Power Party, there were 2,726 inquiries related to these tax categories from January to July this year, accounting for 91.3% of last year's total of 2,987.
Tax law interpretation inquiries allow taxpayers to submit specific tax-related questions in writing or via the Home Tax Service, prompting the National Tax Service to review relevant laws and provide responses.
Of the inquiries, 2,262 were related to capital gains tax, making up about 83% of the total. This figure is nearly double the 1,140 inquiries during the same period last year and is close to last year's total of 2,365.
The increase in inquiries is attributed to the resumption of higher capital gains tax rates for multiple homeowners on May 10 and discussions surrounding potential changes to long-term holding exemptions and capital gains tax deduction limits ahead of an August tax reform announcement.
The number of inquiries for these three tax categories decreased from 7,073 in 2021 to 4,389 in 2022, and 2,349 in 2023. However, it rose again to 2,673 in 2024 and 2,987 last year.
This year, inquiries started at 327 in January, increased to 437 in February and 493 in March, then dropped to 358 in April and 310 in May. They rose again to 401 in June and 400 in July.
Unanswered inquiries are also accumulating. The number of unanswered inquiries related to capital gains tax, comprehensive real estate tax, and inheritance and gift tax increased from 1,062 in 2024 and 1,194 last year to 1,578 as of July this year. Among these, 230 inquiries have gone unanswered for over 365 days, which is 2.3 times last year's figure of 100.
Lee Jong-wook stated, "With frequently changing tax laws and complex exceptions, it is difficult for citizens to gauge their tax burdens. We need to enhance the predictability of real estate tax policies to enable rational decision-making in real estate transactions."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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