Tax advisory body urges NTS to crack down on malicious delinquents, protect compliant taxpayers

A government advisory body on tax administration has called on the National Tax Service to curb malicious tax delinquency that leaves law-abiding taxpayers feeling cheated, and to strengthen international cooperation in enforcement.

The National Tax Administration Reform Committee held its 2026 meeting Monday at the Seoul Regional Tax Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where members discussed and adopted the recommendations.

The committee urged the NTS to make full use of its resources — including a dedicated unit linking delinquency tracking with tax investigations — to combat malicious non-payment. It added that sustaining close international cooperation in enforcement efforts is equally important.

Members also gave a positive assessment of the NTS's new goal of becoming an "integrated fiscal revenue agency" by consolidating the collection of non-tax arrears alongside regular tax revenue, while stressing that careful system design will be essential for a smooth rollout.

On the direction of tax audits, the committee called on the NTS to continue reforming its audit practices to ease the burden on taxpayers — including minimizing on-site residency audits and expanding options that allow taxpayers to choose the timing of their audits.

The committee plans to take up the day's agenda items in greater depth at the annual National Tax Administration Forum, a joint academic event co-hosted with the Korea Institute of Public Finance in the second half of the year.