The government has decided to improve the levy, which has weakened the validity of the levy, in order to ease the economic burden on businesses and the people.

Amendments to the law will also be promoted to refine the levy system in line with changes in the social environment.

The government held an emergency economic ministers' meeting today (17th) under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Finance Choo Kyung-ho and announced a "plan to improve the levy system."

A levy is a monetary obligation imposed by law in relation to a particular public utility and is different from taxation.

It is appropriated to revenues such as special accounts and funds of central ministries and local governments, and is used for business expenses in related fields.

There are a total of 90 levies currently in operation.

Of these, 20 have been in existence for 67 years, accounting for about 74% of the total.

The government explained that changes in the economic and social environment, such as the increase in national income and industrial development, have necessitated the overhaul of the old levy.

Accordingly, through the recommendation of the National Assembly, the Comptroller General's Office, and companies, we decided to select 23 levies that continued to demand system overhaul and promote improvement.

First of all, the government has decided to subdivide the reduction rate of the waste disposal levy (2nd →6th stage) to reduce the burden on businesses, and to reduce the rate of non-discharged design waste at business sites to the level of domestic waste.

As an incentive, we also decided to consider the establishment of an 'Employment Contribution Recognition System' that would reduce the levy for companies that train people with disabilities.

In order to reduce the burden on the public, the exemption from the departure fee was also included in the improvement plan to increase the exemption from the existing age of 2 to under 6 years old.

The school land levy, the mine damage prevention obligation levy, the electricity user's lump sum levy, the contribution to the Korea Fire Insurance Association, and the recycling recovery and levy for electrical and electronic equipment were also included in the improvements.

The government has also decided to amend the individual levy statute to provide a legal basis for the appeals process and to codify the rules for levying.

It also announced plans to amend the Levy Management Act to clarify who is obligated to pay the levy, and to strengthen the role of the levy management review committee.

The government plans to establish a detailed plan for each ministry related to these maintenance plans and submit and report them to the Levy Management Review Committee in July this year.

(Photo=Yonhap News)