Tax delinquency unit yields over 3 times its budget in recovered taxes, NTS chief says

National Tax Service Commissioner Lim Gwang-hyeon said the agency's tax delinquency management unit, one of its flagship initiatives, is generating more than three times its cost in recovered taxes.

Lim made the remarks Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at Government Complex Sejong. "The budget currently allocated is about 19 billion won ($13.4 million), and the delinquent taxes immediately collected have already exceeded 63 billion won," he said.

The delinquency management unit launched Saturday with the goal of surveying the full scope of outstanding tax debt — targeting about 1.34 million people with unpaid national taxes and about 4.24 million with overdue non-tax government receivables such as fines and surcharges, totaling around 130 trillion won.

When President Lee asked about the unit's operations, Lim said 6,000 people are currently active and an additional 4,000 are being recruited, with the position drawing a competitive ratio of 4.7 applicants per slot.

Lim said about 1,500 delinquents facing financial hardship had applied for welfare referrals, and that many among them had previously attempted suicide due to poverty. "Going forward, if someone is found to be in financial difficulty or identified as high-risk during our field assessments, we will immediately connect them with specialized support agencies," he said.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.

He added that delinquents classified as subsistence-level — those with no assets or income who meet certain criteria — are being granted a temporary discharge of their tax obligations to help them get back on their feet, with more than 4,900 people already benefiting from the measure.

President Lee said the returns were roughly three times the labor costs and stressed that the program should be scaled up. "We really should be expanding this further," he said.