Goyang to crack down on vehicles with unpaid auto taxes starting in September

Goyang Special City, led by Mayor Min Gyeong-seon, sent advance notices Wednesday warning of license plate seizures targeting vehicles with unpaid auto taxes, as part of efforts to establish a sound tax-compliance order and uphold tax fairness.

The city sent the notices to 3,988 taxpayers who have failed to pay their auto taxes on two or more occasions, with total outstanding amounts reaching about 3.5 billion won ($2.47 million). The advance notice is a preemptive measure designed to encourage voluntary payment before full-scale on-site enforcement begins and to spare residents the disruption that license plate seizures can cause in daily life.

After the advance notice period, the city plans to launch an intensive citywide license plate seizure campaign targeting delinquent vehicles starting in September.

To root out chronic non-payment, the city will pursue not only high-value and repeat offenders but also vehicles registered under illegal aliases — commonly known as "ghost cars" — seizing them on the spot and putting them up for public auction upon discovery.

However, the city will take a more accommodating approach toward small-business owners and subsistence-level delinquents struggling to make ends meet amid high prices and an economic slowdown, encouraging installment payments and deferring enforcement actions in consideration of their financial circumstances.

"If a license plate is seized, it causes serious disruption to livelihoods and daily life, so we urge residents to pay voluntarily before enforcement begins," a city official said. "Goyang Special City will continue to pursue fair and trustworthy tax administration so that citizens who pay their taxes faithfully are respected."