Opposition Party Launched On-Site Investigation Of National Tax Service

The opposition Grand National Party (GNP)¡¯s Emergency Committee on the Safeguard of Free Media (chairperson Park Kwan-Yong) and the Special Committee for an Assembly Probe launched an on-site investigation of the National Tax Service (NTS), questioning Ahn Jeong-Nam, the head of the National Tax Service Monday.

The GNP inspection team questioned whether there was any relationship between the NTS investigation and the suicide of Ahn Kyoung-Hee, wife of the honorary president of the Dong-a Ilbo; why the tax authorities levied 70 billion won from newspapers by regarding the free copies as entertainment expenses; why Ahn Jeong-Nam visited the United Liberal Democrats after tax probe was wrapped up. ``The NTS plans to investigate the local media companies, although the date has not been decided yet,`` said Ahn to the members of the special committee who visited the NTS. Ahn added that ``the NTS originally planned to investigate 16 media companies excluding the Nae-Il Newspaper and the Christian Broadcasting. However, in order not to be misunderstood, the NTS expanded the tax probe to 23 media companies. It seems that no company will close down due to this tax investigation, and 16 companies applied for the review of the legality prior to taxation.``

Ahn said, ``Although the tax investigation of the media companies in 1994 did not have any flaw formally, practical issues were left out and the amount of tax was not understandable from a perspective of expert.`` ``The NTS already grasped the property situation of the owners of the media companies under the investigation, and the ownership of the media companies will not change based on the amount of their property,`` said Ahn.

Sun Dae-In eodls@donga.com