[Editorial] NTS Commissioner Son`s Defense for Ahn Jung-Nam

The Commissioner of the National Tax Service (NTS) Son Young-Rae`s response at the National Assembly on 7th raised the question that whether he has the ability and will to carry his office. Responding to the lawmakers` inquiry into a family town real estate of former Commissioner Ahn Jung-Nam, Daechi-Dong, Kangnam-Gu, Seoul, the Commissioner Son answered as if he gave up his taxation rights. It is really different from his active attitude in last year when he conducted tax probe on the media.

On the transferring of Ahn`s land to his brother and son-in-law, the Commissioner Son showed negative position for levying taxes by saying that, "It is unclear whether the transfers were donations or sales." His answer revealed that he totally forgot that the NTS` duty is to levy a tax on such an unclear case through a careful investigation. I want to ask him whether he will show such a generous attitude to the similar cases which are happened between ordinary people.

His remarks that "we cannot inspect everything that media reports." deny the responsibility and the function of the NTS itself. The problem is not how the issue is raised rather whether NTS has a will to inspect or not. How could the people trust NTS if it simply ignores the suspicions related its former head. If NTS expresses its respect for the former officials in such way, what would the people who are unequally treated say about this? It would bring about tax boycott in extreme case.

Considering the disappointing responses of the Commissioner Son, some sort of legal measures to control the NTS` arbitrary application of taxation, which hardly distinguishes the tax probes that must be done from that shouldn`t even be attempted. Therefore, we support the legislation of the standard national taxation law and the transparent finance system that the opposition parties try to legislate.

Commissioner Son should not follow after the steps of former Commission Ahn, who stubbornly reiterated false statements even mentioning the `national anthem` and `Mt. Mani` in his response at the National Assembly rather Mr. Son must free himself from the suspicion about the defense of his predecessor.