Guri City Achieves Top Collection Rate for Environmental Improvement Burden in Gyeonggi Province!

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Um In-yong] Guri City announced that it achieved a 60.9% collection rate for environmental improvement burden in 2024, securing first place in Gyeonggi Province.

This figure far exceeds the national average collection rate of 29.2% and the Gyeonggi Province average of 47.2%, and is analyzed as a result of Guri City's proactive payment inducement policies and systematic collection administration.

The environmental improvement burden is a system with the character of an environmental tax imposed on diesel vehicle owners, excluding Euro 5 and 6 vehicles and low-emission certified vehicles, requiring owners of vehicles emitting pollutants to bear a portion of the costs for environmental improvement.

This system is imposed twice annually in March and September, and the collected burden fees are used for environmental policies such as air pollution reduction projects by local governments.

To improve the collection rate, the city has been making timely assessments of vehicles that undergo early scrapping or ownership transfers, and has prevented delinquencies from the source by requiring mandatory submission of environmental improvement burden payment certificates when vehicles are deregistered.

The city has also guided citizens on payment deadlines and methods through various channels including the city website and text message alerts, encouraging voluntary payment.

In particular, the city introduced an installment payment system for high-amount delinquents to alleviate economic burden while encouraging payment, and increased administrative efficiency by implementing loss write-offs for corporate vehicles undergoing liquidation or bankruptcy proceedings.

Through the financial resources secured in this manner, the city is implementing air pollution reduction projects and various environmental policies directly linked to citizens' lives, creating a positive cycle and focusing on improving residents' quality of life.

Guri City Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun said, "Environmental policies that citizens can experience must ultimately be proven through concrete results," and added, "This top collection rate was possible thanks to fair tax administration and citizens' environmental awareness and participation."