7 October 2022
South Korea Might Impose Tax On NFTs
South Korea has imposed a 30% tax on Crypto transactions which will come into effect next year. Now, the country is all set to become the first nation to implement taxes on NFTs.
According to reports in the Korea Herald, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) is planning to impose taxes on NFTs. The Vice-Chairman of FSC, Doh Kyu-sang, said that authorities could collect taxes on NFTs sales under the current Act on the Specified Financial Transaction Information.
As per the act, any profits made from the purchase and sale of virtual assets come under “other income” and are subject to taxation. The law states virtual assets owners need to pay a 20% tax on any gains that exceed 2.5 million won ($2,102) through selling the assets.
However, the Finance Ministry opposes FSA’s evaluation of NFTs and still considers it controversial whether or not to categorize NFTs as virtual assets.
“(I think) NFTs do not belong to virtual assets yet,” says Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki.
Experts are worried that the difference in opinion on NFTs between FSC and the finance ministry could spark confusion in the market, which is not good for the industry.
After its recent implementation of AML guidelines, the country has emerged as one of the most regulatory-sound Crypto ecosystems. The new regulations shut down hundreds of unregistered small and medium-sized Crypto exchanges which failed to meet the criteria of registration.
Disclaimer: The author’s thoughts and comments are solely for educational reasons and informative purposes only. They do not represent financial, investment, or other advice.