Apparently we will now have to make a “mandatory donation” to fly out of Korea. “Mandatory donation”?
Political Correctness, or Konglish?
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How much of that is going to be sent to North Korea?
I guess this is one way of making foreigners pay for Korean aid, when clearly, the Korean government doesn’t want a bar of it:
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_eco_aid_don_percap-economic-aid-donor-per-capita
Korea is last amoung all OECD nations as an economic aid donor, per capita. Also, I imagine if you subtracted the “aid” that gets pumped into the North, the table would look even grimmer.
Um, I can’t see the comment I just posted, so apologies if it ends up appearing twice.
Re: the “mandatory donation”:
Is this legal?
This is simply a tax. Saying that tax X is goint to pay for expense Y is just a shell game.
Interesting…
I wonder if adult Korean adoptees are exempt as well. I doubt it actually. They of course exempt the tax on new babies whom they’re exporting however. Wouldn’t want to diminish their most export product.
Foreigners pay for Korean aid — Don’t think so, most of the people I see at Incheon airport are Korean. Actually the average Korean does “donate” a lot of money to the poor — their relatives! In western societies, charity is socialised via higher taxes to pay for welfare.
Even when our own governments provide foreign aid a small portion is also paid for by foreigners. Foreigners pay taxes whenever they purchase goods and services.
Anyway the amount of money that will be collected by this tax for foreign aid is still pitiful.
#3,
Like any taxes, the government will probably use some of it to cover the costs involved in the collection and distribution, too.
#5,
How do you know these ‘Koreans’ aren’t traveling on a foreign passport?
Yea, I think the idea is that those people with money to fly abroad can afford to pay 1USD extra for a ‘good cause’ on their way to vacationing in Hawaii. To think that foreigners were even considered, let alone targeted, when making this decision is pretty silly considering foreigners make up such a low percentage of the population.
Calling it a ‘mandatory donation’ is indeed pretty funny.
Wow, I’m in Australia…. How did that happen….
We used to have a boss that thought “cordially required” was a snazzy way to gild a turd.
Why don’t they just tax Koreans with this? They jacked the departure tax on Koreans only right after the Asian short-term dollar loan liqudity, oops, I mean “IMF” crisis, ten years ago. They have the technology to do it again.
We used to have to pay KRW9000 extra to leave.
Foreign Aid:
“The transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.”
(Various Attributions)
Well, as for the symantics of “mandatory donation,” I am reminded of the “mandatory volunteerism” requirement for many US high school students. It’s neither Konglish nor new. The aforementioned fad started gaining popularity during the Clinton administration.
Does anyone remember the rest area roach coaches in California back in the 80s, especially on the stretch of the 5 near Camp Pendleton? They’d offer you sanwhiches and beverages and ask for “donations” (they were nominally religious and by law couldn’t charge anything).
Well, my wise-ass buddy had this conversation:
Bud: So how much is this Coke?
Sap: Well, sir, the suggested donation is 50 cents.
Bud: So by “donation,” you mean payment is voluntary?
Sap: Well, yes, but everyone pays that, some even pay more.
Bud: But legally you can’t charge money, right?
Sap: (Getting flustered) Well, but… everyone pays… but…
Bud: Thanks for the free Coke. (Leaves)
Read my lips: No new taxes. Lots of mandatory donations to be imposed on “the rich”, yes, but no new taxes!! The people won’t stand for it.
There is not much difference between the US and Korea on that graph. But I think the graph concerns governmental aid. I would like to see (and have not been able to find) stats on donations by individuals as well as those by governments. The foreign projects by Gates Foundation itself must be greater than many countries. I believe I read somewhere that people in countries with lower taxes tend to donate more per capita.
“We used to have to pay KRW9000 extra to leave.”
25 beans to leave Cambodia
This is announced by the Foreign Ministry!? Since when have these people gone into the tax collection business? Frankly, they do not deserve another ship won from my pocket.
My guess is that they have to cover the bribe money handed over to the Taliban somehow and that was not provided for in the 2007 Budget. So let the ‘rich’ foreigners pay for it!
peninsular aborigine, I also has a boss who “cordially required” us to do all kinds of stuff. There must be a corresponding Korean phrase, unless we had the same boss (Dr. Koo).
> donate W1,000 for the global fight against poverty
I really wonder where this relatively petty money will go, and what for, and how much of it will be eaten up by its own administration…
#21,
That’s the point I was making. In Canada it was at one point proposed by a politician to tax blank CDs and MP3 players. The money was supposedly going to be distributed to artists. Well, that got shot down pretty quick when someone did the math and realized that most of the money would have gone to running the proposed office that would have dealt with the collection and distribution of this new tax…an office that would have been located in the riding of the politician who came up with the idea in the first place.
Which is what happened in France. A tax is levied on blank recording media to be forwarded to the SACEM, the company managing royalties. I wonder how much the artists really see from this tax.
They can have it. Don’t care what they do with it either.
Even at 1000 won more the departure gate is still my favorite place in Korea. A nice & long Chusok holiday comin’ soon.
SomeguyinKorea-
Sadly that blank CD tax actually went through years ago:
(Wikipedia) Canada’s current levies are as follows: $0.24 per unit for Audio Cassette tape (40min or longer); $0.21 per unit for CD-R Audio, CD-RW-Audio & MiniDisc; $0.21 per unit for CD-R, CD-RW (non audio)
They’re now trying to get it expanded to memory cards.
This levy is intended to reimburse recording artists who lose income due to home copying. Therefore, doesn’t this mean it’s now ethical (if not legal) to rip your friend’s Phil Collins collection?
The fact that you’re paying those goons when you make a CD-R of your own music is beyond obscene and well into evil territory.
#13
Cynical, but I am afraid this brushing up against a truth.
Joshua (# 21),
Same boss. Same office, too.
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