Village tax accountants and district office staff will offer free consultations on national and local taxes at the festival from Friday through Sunday, with a dedicated booth near the specialty market open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily — visitors can also sign up for electronic billing and automatic payment services on the spot.
Mapo-gu will run a free tax consultation booth at the 19th Maponaru Shrimp Paste Festival, running Friday through Sunday, offering services ranging from one-on-one tax advice to guidance on payment methods.
The booth will be set up near the specialty market inside the festival grounds and will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Consultations will cover both national and local taxes. Village tax accountants designated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government will handle national tax questions — including capital gains tax, comprehensive income tax, and inheritance and gift taxes — while district office tax staff will be on hand for general local tax inquiries.
Joint sessions covering both national and local taxes are scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. Additional local tax consultations will be held Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Each session runs two hours.
Visitors who want a consultation can sign up on the spot. Sessions are conducted one-on-one to protect personal information and are capped at 15 minutes per case.
Beyond tax advice, the booth will help senior residents who are less comfortable with smartphones install and use STAX, the Seoul Metropolitan Government's mobile tax payment app. Staff will also accept on-site applications for electronic tax notices and automatic card or bank-account payments. Residents who sign up for both services can save up to 1,600 won per tax notice.
"We hope residents will enjoy the festival and take the opportunity to get answers to any tax questions they may have had," Mapo-gu District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said. "We will continue to ease residents' tax concerns and make paying taxes more convenient."
Outside the festival period, Mapo-gu also runs a standing village tax accountant program to help residents with tax matters year-round. Ten accountants covering the district's 16 neighborhoods provide free consultations on national and local taxes and assist with objections and appeals for local tax bills under 10 million won.
Consultations can be requested by phone, fax or email, and in-person sessions can be arranged with the accountant when further advice is needed. Contact information for each neighborhood's assigned accountant is available on the Mapo-gu website under the village tax accountant section.
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