Province Finds 174 Delinquent Taxpayers Holding Firearms Despite Tax Evasion

# Mr. A, who operates a camping facility in Yangju, has evaded 30 million won in local income taxes.

Mr. A had refused to pay, citing financial hardship, but Gyeonggi Province's comprehensive audit of firearm possession permits uncovered that he was holding three firearms—including a shotgun (A6-12F, Gold Vision) valued at approximately 7 million won—totaling about 13 million won. The province is proceeding with seizure procedures.

# Mr. B from Hwaseong, who has evaded 74 million won in local income taxes, was deemed a loss case with no identifiable assets.

However, this investigation revealed that he owns a shotgun (Benelli F199928) valued at up to 10 million won and an air rifle worth approximately 3 million won for recreational use, and he is now subject to seizure procedures.

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 10th that a comprehensive audit of firearm possession permits conducted through 42 police stations across the province from September to October identified 206 firearms held by 174 delinquent taxpayers at police stations.

The audit targeted approximately 140,000 delinquent taxpayers in the province with local tax arrears of 1 million won or more.

When individuals purchase firearms for hunting and recreational activities, they must obtain possession permits under the Firearms Safety Management Act and store them at the relevant police station. Previously, firearms were not detected during house searches of delinquent taxpayers and remained a blind spot in the province's asset tracking system, including national asset inquiries.

Through cooperation with police, the province identified firearm possession by 174 delinquent taxpayers (total arrears of approximately 2.6 billion won).

The province is proceeding with firearm seizure procedures in accordance with applicable laws, and if delinquent taxpayers continue to refuse payment, all firearms will be auctioned off.

Kim Min-gyeong, director of the Tax Justice Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The delinquent taxpayers identified in this audit have made excuses such as business difficulties or unemployment to avoid paying their tax arrears," adding, "These individuals are typical chronic tax evaders who fail to fulfill their tax obligations while purchasing expensive firearms for leisure activities. To realize tax justice, we will pursue strong enforcement measures to collect all arrears."