Settings

ⓕ font-size

  • -2
  • -1
  • 0
  • +1
  • +2

Hwang's claim debunked: Foreigners' treasury contribution hits $1.17 billion

  • Facebook share button
  • Twitter share button
  • Kakao share button
  • Mail share button
  • Link share button
Foreigners paid 1.36 trillion won ($1.178 billion) in taxes and tariffs in 2017. Yonhap
Foreigners paid 1.36 trillion won ($1.178 billion) in taxes and tariffs in 2017. Yonhap

By Park Si-soo

Foreigners paid 1.36 trillion won ($1.178 billion) in taxes and tariffs in 2017, state financial data showed on Tuesday, debunking opposition leader Hwang Kyo-ahn's claim that foreigners have made "no contribution" to South Korea's economy.

It accounted for 0.51 percent of the total tax (265 trillion won) raised in that year.

Rep. Kim Kyung-hyup of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea revealed this.

"If he, who served as Minister of Justice and even Prime Minister, made the claim not knowing about the size of the contribution foreigners made to the country, it would be nothing less than self-confession of being incompetent," Kim said, referring to Hwang, chairman of the conservative main opposition Liberty Korea Party.

"What if he made that claim knowing this, then it was tantamount to a shameless act aimed at misleading the people with fake news."

According to the data, the tax was collected from 558,246 foreigners. Tax on earned income accounted for the biggest portion ― 770.7 billion won ― followed by general income tax of 364.5 billion won. Nearly 57 billion won was collected as business tax, 37.6 billion won as retirement income tax and 18 billion won as transfer income tax. Foreigners paid 42.6 billion won in tariffs in 2017.

Data shows that foreigners' treasury contribution continues to rise. In 2015, foreigners paid 1.22 trillion won in taxes and tariffs combined. It rose to 1.28 trillion won the following year.

Hwang's "no contribution" remark ― made on June 19 at a meeting with CEOs of small and medium companies in Busan ― sparked nationwide controversy. Hwang faced an immediate backlash from rival parties and workers who claimed the remarks had revealed his "outdated" perception of migrant workers and "hatred" of them.

The following day, he said his remark had been delivered in a "twisted way," adding it was to "criticize the government's move to increase the minimum wage rapidly, not to discriminate against foreign workers."


Park Si-soo pss@koreatimes.co.kr


X
CLOSE

Top 10 Stories

go top LETTER