[Letters] Religious groups are obligated to pay taxes

Most of our religious groups are not reporting their financial statement to government and consequently not paying their income taxes. If poor churches begin to prove their financial state to the government, their situations could be better than before.

But the world is changing. New culture is being created and old traditions are under modification. I concede that more detailed standards and ways to levy tax are needed because there hasn’t been any precedent. However, religious groups should not think they are being persecuted by comparing with the past aspect of tax exemption. Since tax is used to accomplish welfare of the whole nation, the meaning of taxation is not so different from the ultimate goal of religious groups. They have to realize the importance and role of taxation and accept the taxation as practicing formal equity and conforming to reality.

Chi Chang-woon, a student at Kaist