The unique tax strategy of 'National MC' Yoo Jae-suk has been revealed.
On the 26th, tax accountant Yoon Na-gyeom explained on the YouTube channel 'Tax Reduction TV' that 'the reason Yoo Jae-suk has no flaws in his tax audit is precisely because of his method of tax reporting.'
There are two main methods for tax reporting by entertainers. The first is to keep accounts and reflect expenses as much as possible with the tax accountant for tax reduction benefits, and the second is the 'estimated reporting' method, which simply applies the expense ratio set by the National Tax Service. Most high-income entertainers choose the former, but Yoo Jae-suk opted for the latter.
According to Yoon, Yoo Jae-suk was subject to an expense ratio of 8.8%, resulting in a higher actual tax payment. 'If his annual salary is 10 billion won, he would typically pay about 2.7 billion won in taxes through account reporting, but Yoo Jae-suk chose estimated reporting and pays about 4.1 billion won. The difference amounts to 1.4 billion won,' she said.
Experts analyze that this decision is not simply due to 'having a lot of money' but involves strategic considerations. It eliminates unnecessary risks during the tax audit process and maintains transparency that befits his image as 'National MC.' There is also the advantage of avoiding complex verification processes and focusing solely on broadcasting activities.
The reason entertainers fear tax audits is due to practices where 'personal expenses are treated as business expenses or family members are employed and paid, creating ambiguous boundaries under tax law.' Yoon noted, 'Yoo Jae-suk never handled those expenses from the start. Because he applied only the standard expense ratio, there was nothing to investigate, and from the tax authorities' perspective, there was no room for additional assessments.'
Last year, Yoo Jae-suk underwent a rigorous tax investigation by the National Tax Service due to changes in assets, such as purchasing a building worth hundreds of millions of won in cash.
However, no evidence of tax evasion was found. Tax experts commented that this is 'a case where trust for a lifetime was chosen over short-term tax reduction,' affirming that 'Yoo Jae-suk's method is consistent with the concept of nobless oblige.'