HWASEONG — The city of Hwaseong said on the 12th that it will use artificial intelligence to search the homes and workplaces of delinquent taxpayers suspected of avoiding local tax payments or concealing assets despite having the ability to pay.
The city plans to focus on taxpayers who failed to pay 5 million won or more in local taxes last year and who show signs of hiding assets or a high likelihood of evading payment. The campaign runs from the 19th through Dec. 11 and covers Seoul, the wider Seoul metropolitan area and the Chungcheong region.
AI will be applied to the field collection effort. Based on residential information for delinquent taxpayers, the system automatically plans visit routes and arranges the order of visits for greater efficiency. The city expects this to cut travel time and allow a limited number of officials to check more sites.
The city will also run a backup visit system for cases in which a target is not present at the site. Officials will secure information in advance on additional delinquent taxpayers in nearby areas to reduce idle time in the field. Hwaseong will also screen for targets with a high likelihood of actual collection by analyzing the validity of addresses, ability to pay and the size of arrears. Searches of homes and workplaces are conducted under the Local Tax Collection Act. Cash found at a site is applied immediately to the unpaid tax. Movable assets seized, such as jewelry, are later sold through public auction and the proceeds used to collect the arrears.
"Through AI-based precision tracking, we will respond firmly to deliberate tax evasion and asset concealment," said Lee Kwang-hoon, director general of finance at Hwaseong City. "We will strengthen collection from large-scale and habitual delinquents to establish a fair tax order in which honest taxpayers are respected and to secure stable local revenue."