Providing Excellence In Client Services July 2013 Newsletter Bi-monthly Newsletter of Horwath Choongjung LLC Contents This newsletter is prepared and issued by Horwath Choongjung LLC (Choongjung Accounting Corp.) on a bi-monthly basis and intended to provide foreign investors with an update on tax law changes in Korea Amendment of Tax Treaty and other related subjects of special interests to foreign investors. The information provided herein should not form a basis of any Amendment of the KoreaSingapore Tax Treaty decision as to a particular course of action, nor should it be relied upon New Tax Ruling --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special rules in issuing output VAT invoice (Buga600, 2013.06.28) Please contact any of the following individuals with any inquiries or comments. Tax Filing Information Contacts: H.S. Kim, S.Y. Kim or G.S. Sim at Tax&BPO Services of Horwath Choongjung [Tel: (82)(2) 316-6600, Fax: (82)(2) 775-5885, E-mail: post@crowehorwath.co.kr] (You may find this newsletter and other items of interest at http://www.crowehorwath.co.kr) Deemed gift tax return filing by July 31, 2013 as a substitute for a detailed advice in individual cases. Interim corporate income tax return filing by September 2, 2013 Audit l Tax l Advisory www.crowehorwath.co.kr -1- July 2013 Amendment of Tax Treaty Amendment of the Korea-Singapore Tax Treaty The amended Korea-Singapore Tax Treaty came into force on June 28, 2013. The amended tax treaty may enable the National Tax Service of Korea to receive financial information of the taxpayers suspected of tax evasion from the tax authorities of Singapore. However, in this regard, the government requesting information should prove that the taxpayer evaded taxes. The main revisions are as follows. Old provision Amended provision □ Article 25 of the Agreement Exchange such information □ Article 1 of the Protocol as is 1. Exchange such information as is necessary for the carrying out of this foreseeably relevant for carrying out the Convention and of the domestic laws of provisions of this Convention or to the the Contracting States concerning taxes administration or enforcement of the covered by this Convention. domestic laws concerning taxes of every kind and description imposed on behalf of the Contracting States, or of their political subdivisions or local authorities. 5. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 3 be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because the information is held by a bank, other financial institution, nominee or person acting in an agency or a fiduciary capacity or because it relates to ownership interests in a person. New Tax rulings Special rules in issuing output VAT invoice (Buga-600, 2013.06.28) In the case where a Korean branch office of a foreign company imports and supplies VAT taxable goods to a domestic purchaser (“A”) from the head office in the foreign country, if the imported goods are shipped to A directly from the head office and A undertakes necessary importing procedures and receives the importing VAT invoice from the relevant customs office, the Korean branch office does not need to issue an output VAT invoice to A regarding the supply of imported Audit l Tax l Advisory www.crowehorwath.co.kr -2- July 2013 goods. Tax Filing Information Deemed gift tax return filing by July 31, 2013 Under Article 45-3 of the Inheritance and Gift Tax Law, if the amount of sales made by a company (“beneficiary company”) to a specially related company (“SRC”) of the beneficiary company’s controlling shareholder exceeds 30% of the beneficiary company’s total sales amount on a fiscal year basis, the controlling shareholder and his/her relative (“Taxpayer”) having more than 3% of share ownership in the beneficiary company directly and indirectly are deemed to be gifted some portion of an after-tax operating income of the beneficiary company from SRC, and the deemed income is subject to gift tax. Taxpayer is required to file a gift tax return and make tax payment within 3 months from the end of the month in which the corporate income tax return filing due date of beneficiary company falls (i.e., by July 31, 2013 if the beneficiary company’s fiscal year-end is December 31, 2012). In the case where the taxpayer files a gift tax return by the due date, he/she is entitled to a tax credit of 10% of the gift tax liability; if the taxpayer fails to file a gift tax return and pay the taxes by the due date, a non-filing penalty of 20% of gift tax liability and nonpayment (underpayment) penalty equivalent to 0.03% per day of the unpaid (underpaid) taxes for the delinquent period will be imposed. If the gift tax payable exceeds Won 10 million, it can be paid in 2 installments. Interim corporate income tax return filing by September 2, 2013 A resident corporation (and a nonresident corporation having a permanent establishment in Korea) is required to pay interim corporate taxes within 2 months from the end of the first six months of each fiscal year. Interim corporate tax return must also be filed along with the tax payment. An interim corporate income tax return can be filed using either (i) the 1/2 method (that is, paying 1/2 of the corporate tax paid in the prior year or (ii) the book-closing method (by closing the books of accounts of the corporation for the first six month period and calculate interim corporate tax amount based on such six-month financial results). When a corporation had not paid the corporate income taxes in the prior year due to tax loss or having no taxable income, only option (ii) above should be applied. The calculation formula of interim corporate taxes by using the book closing Audit l Tax l Advisory www.crowehorwath.co.kr -3- July 2013 method is as follows: Taxes payable = [taxable income for interim period Ⅹ12/6]Ⅹtax ratesⅩ6/12 - (tax exemption/withholding taxes paid/occasional assessment taxes paid for interim period) If interim corporate income taxes payable exceeds Won 10 million, such taxes can be paid in 2 installments, the second installment payment due within 1 month (2 months in case of small and medium corporation) from the end of the payment period. Taxable income Taxes in installment Over Won 10 million and up to Won 20 million Taxes payable in excess of Won 10 million Over Won 20 million *50% or less of taxes payable Unlike annual corporate income tax return, there is no additional local income tax assessed on interim corporate income tax liability. * * * * * Horwath Choongjung LLC Member Crowe Horwath International PMAA Jaram Building, 16th Floor, 566 Dohwa-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-815, Korea TEL: (82)(2) 316-6600 FAX: (82)(2) 775-5885 E-mail: post@crowehorwath.co.kr Website: http://www.crowehorwath.co.kr Horwath Choongjung LLC is a member of Crowe Horwath International, a Swiss association. Each member firm of Crowe Horwath International is a separate and independent legal entity. Horwath Choongjung LLC and its affiliates are not responsible or liable for any acts or omissions of Crowe Horwath International or any other member of Crowe Horwath International and specifically disclaim any and all responsibility or liability for acts or omissions of Crowe Horwath International or any other Crowe Horwath International member. Audit l Tax l Advisory www.crowehorwath.co.kr -4-