September meetings also push for clearer rain-cancellation standards
The Korea Golf Course Business Association is intensifying its response to a potential property tax increase on membership golf courses and pushing to establish clearer cancellation standards for rain-affected rounds.
The association said Wednesday it had toured all eight of its regional councils nationwide in September to discuss tax and legislative responses, safety issues, consumer disputes and course management.
The central concern is a possible property tax increase on membership golf courses. The association is preparing for the possibility that an upcoming revision to the Local Tax Act's enforcement decree could raise the fair market value ratio applied to membership course land from the current 70 percent to 100 percent. The association says such a change would push property taxes up by 42.9 percent. It plans to submit a formal objection after completing a legal review with law firm Yulchon.
The association also intends to seek revisions to rain-cancellation rules. It plans to ask the Korea Fair Trade Commission to amend standard terms and conditions — currently centered on operators' temporary closures — to incorporate objective criteria such as Korea Meteorological Administration weather alerts and rainfall levels.
Alongside this, the association urged member clubs to conduct safety inspections, check country-of-origin labeling, and guard against website hacking and personal data breaches. Its affiliated Korea Turfgrass Research Institute recommended that courses begin winter preparation work starting in October.
Association President Choi Dong-ho said the organization would "work to protect members' rights and interests in the face of tax reform moves and tightening regulations, while also striving to establish reasonable cancellation standards and a safe environment for golfers."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
