National Tax Service provides free tax consultation and taxpayer rights protection for small business owners

For small business owners who find it difficult to hire tax agents, the National Tax Service is operating a support system for free tax consultation by business stage and the protection of taxpayer rights and interests.

From startup to closure... Step-by-step tax advisory through the Taxpayer Support Service for Small Businesses

According to a National Tax Service video, the 'Taxpayer Support Service for Small Businesses' system is in operation, targeting individual business owners without tax agents and small to medium-sized corporations. This system provides free consultation on major tax issues arising during the business operation process, such as comprehensive income tax, value-added tax, corporate tax, and withholding tax.

The scope of support is organized by stage in accordance with the business life cycle. First, 'Start-up Mentoring' is operated to provide one-on-one tax consultation for new prospective entrepreneurs. During the business operation stage, free tax advisory can be received regarding bookkeeping and evidence management, how to use Hometax, and preparation for tax filing. In particular, for business owners who find it difficult to visit tax offices due to their livelihood, a service that visits traditional markets or collective shopping districts directly is also carried out in parallel.

Support continues even when closing a business. Through 'Business Closure Mentoring', one-on-one tax advisory can be received until filing the comprehensive income tax or corporate tax for the year of closure. However, the video specified that the system does not act as a substitute for the tax filing itself, but rather plays a role in consulting and guiding the procedures and tax laws required for filing.

'Taxpayer Advocate Officer' system to verify the legality of tax audits

The 'Taxpayer Advocate Officer' system is also operated to prevent the unfair exercise of authority or infringement of taxpayer rights and interests that occur during the process of tax imposition or collection. While the Taxpayer Advocate at the National Tax Service headquarters oversees the rights and interests protection work, the Taxpayer Advocate Officer deployed at local tax offices and regional National Tax Service offices performs the role of examining tax-related difficulties and protecting rights close to the taxpayers.

If a taxpayer wants to check whether a tax audit is being conducted according to legal procedures during the process of undergoing a tax audit, they can utilize the 'Tax Audit Observation' system. According to the video, if a taxpayer applies, the Taxpayer Advocate Officer observes the tax audit site to see if the investigation is proceeding according to legal procedures and protects the taxpayer's rights and interests during the investigation process. This is a measure to ensure that the imposition and collection of taxes and tax audits are carried out fairly, not only from the perspective of the taxing authority but also from the perspective of the taxpayer.

Detailed information regarding this can be obtained through local tax offices nationwide or the National Tax Consultation Center.