It is reported that actor Jeong Ho-geun, who is active as a shaman, has been imposed a hefty tax for providing fortune-telling services without business registration and failing to file tax returns.
On the 12th, a media outlet reported that the Seongbuk Tax Office and the Seoul Regional Tax Service investigated Jeong Ho-geun and determined the five years of taxes he had skipped from 2017 to 2021, issuing two notices.
According to reports, Jeong Ho-geun, who debuted as an MBC public talent in 1984, made a surprising transformation into a shaman in 2015, opening a new temple and appearing on various broadcasting programs, actively working as both a shaman and a broadcaster.
The Seongbuk Tax Office identified Jeong Ho-geun's income from his activities as a shaman over the four years from 2018 to 2021 through an integrated personal tax investigation in 2022 and imposed value-added taxes and comprehensive income taxes. Additionally, it forced the new temple to register as a business in the fortune-telling industry.
In 2024, the Seoul Regional Tax Service, while auditing the previous tax assessment by Seongbuk, confirmed the income from the first half of 2017 to 2018 that had been omitted during the tax investigation, leading to an additional notice for one year and six months of value-added taxes.
In response, Jeong Ho-geun stated that he felt wronged. Regarding the one year and six months of value-added taxes, he filed a tax appeal, asserting, "In 2017, I only temporarily borrowed the new temple for filming purposes. Since I didn't have any facilities, it was not a taxable business at the time," and claimed, "If the value-added taxes had been imposed from the beginning of the tax investigation, the late payment penalties would not have occurred."
However, the Tax Tribunal determined there was no problem with the National Tax Service's taxation. It confirmed that the fact the business sites have provided fortune-telling services at least since 2017 was verified through various broadcasts and YouTube, and since late payment penalties have the nature of interest on overdue unpaid taxes without considering the taxpayer's intent or negligence, it could not accept Jeong Ho-geun's claims.
Jeong Ho-geun said, "The income that occurred at that time was recognized as a donation to a religious facility. I relied on the guidance of existing shamans or non-experts without sufficient tax knowledge, and therefore was completely unaware that fortune-telling services were subject to value-added taxes. There was no intention of tax evasion, and I have now fully paid all taxes, even mobilizing loan funds."
In particular, Jeong Ho-geun stated, "This tax issue is merely a mistake arising from a lack of tax knowledge, and there was absolutely no intent to evade tax obligations or intentionally neglect them. In the future, I will fulfill my tax obligations with a more responsible attitude and live a more cautious and exemplary life in my public position."
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