‘법인 슈퍼카’ 파헤친 국세청…이번엔 ‘황제 사택’ 법인주택 세무조사 예고

The Korean Tax Agency, known as the '황제 사택' (imperial residence), is preparing to conduct a comprehensive audit on high-value corporate housing. Among the 10 high-value corporate homes, four are reportedly being used for private purposes, according to the latest findings. Tax Commissioner Kim Jang-hyun announced this during a recent statement, revealing that out of the 2,639 high-value corporate homes assessed, 1,097 (approximately 41.6%) were found to have been used for private residence or private purposes by the corporate entity itself.

The remaining properties were used for normal rental or employee accommodation purposes, accounting for 1,157 homes and 385, respectively. A corporate home is defined as a joint-stock company-owned residential property with an area of 84 square meters or more and a listing price exceeding 9 billion won. The average listing price of the audited corporate homes was reported at 20 billion won, with 453 properties surpassing the 30 billion won mark.

Twelve properties exceeded 100 billion won in listing price, with the highest valued at 200 billion won.

The findings span from small and medium-sized enterprises to major conglomerates, with total sales of over several tens of billions of won. The commissioner noted that some companies had a history of providing employees with high-end apartments in prime locations like Gangnam and Yongsan, essentially using them as private residences or for personal use, often under the guise of corporate welfare.

He pointed out that while the current tax law clearly defines benefits and maintenance costs for officers and their relatives, instances of "non-taxable private residence" had become commonplace in the industry.

The commissioner emphasized that such non-standard practices reveal significant tax evasion risks within the corporate sector, and pledged to conduct thorough audits on companies found guilty of such oversights. He stressed that this audit would set a precedent for clarifying principles between corporate and personal interests, aiming to foster a fair and rule-abiding business environment.

He also vowed to expand the scrutiny to other instances of corporate misconduct, such as the provision of luxury homes to executives' children overseas or the subsidization of their study fees.