The Ministry of Finance and Economy said on the 30th that the government's income tax revenue for January–May rose 15.7% from a year earlier. The increase was driven by gains from overseas stock capital gains and higher dwellings transaction volume.
According to the "National tax revenue status in May 2026" that the Ministry of Finance and Economy released that day, national tax revenue for January–May was 199.9 trillion won, up 16% (27.5 trillion won) from the same period last year.
By tax item, income tax, which accounts for the largest share, came in at 66.7 trillion won, up 9 trillion won (15.7%) from a year earlier. A Ministry of Finance and Economy official said, "Within capital gains tax, the dwellings portion rose much more than in usual years due to increased dwellings transaction volume, and earned income tax increased due to higher performance bonuses." Dwellings sales in March totaled 72,000, up 7% from a year earlier.
The security transaction tax jumped 312.5% from a year earlier to 4.1 trillion won. In April, the value of listed stock transactions rose 257.7% from the same period. A Ministry of Finance and Economy official said, "Market volatility has increased," adding, "If this trend continues, it will be positive for tax revenue."
Corporate tax revenue increased by 3.9 trillion won to 46.6 trillion won as corporations' results improved. Value-added taxes rose 4.5 trillion won to 42.9 trillion won due to reduced refunds and higher import values, and the transportation energy tax increased 400 billion won to 5.6 trillion won due to the partial reversal of the cut in the flexible fuel tax rate.