Mayor Bora Kim Urges National Assembly to Revise Hometown Love Donation Program: “Raise Full Tax Deduction Limit to 200,000 Won”

Anseong City Holds Forum and Press Conference at the National Assembly
Urges Raising Hometown Love Donation Full Tax Deduction Limit to 200,000 Won
Mayor Bora Kim: “Expanding Tax Deduction to 200,000 Won Will Create a Virtuous Local Economic Cycle”

Anseong City in Gyeonggi Province, with Mayor Bora Kim serving as the Standing Chairperson city, and the Sustainable Tourism Local Government Council (hereinafter referred to as “the Council”), held a forum and press conference at the National Assembly on the 28th to officially urge the National Assembly and the government to raise the full tax deduction limit for hometown love donations from the current 100,000 won to 200,000 won.

Bora Kim, Mayor of Anseong and Executive Chair of the Sustainable Tourism Local Government Council, held a forum and press conference at the National Assembly on the 28th, officially urging the National Assembly and the government to raise the full tax credit limit for hometown love donations from the current 100,000 won to 200,000 won. Provided by Anseong City

The hometown love donation program has served as a major funding source for local governments and helped local farmers and small business owners expand their sales channels. However, critics have pointed out that most participants in the program concentrate their donations at 100,000 won, which is the current threshold for the full tax deduction, highlighting the urgent need for institutional improvement. In fact, as of 2025, 98.4% of all donations are at or below 100,000 won, indicating clear limitations in expanding donation amounts.

During the forum held at the National Assembly Library that day, Bora Kim, Mayor of Anseong, gave a presentation titled “Proposal to Raise the Full Tax Deduction Limit for Hometown Love Donation Promotion,” emphasizing the need for policy improvements.

Mayor Kim stated, “With only the current 100,000 won full tax deduction and return gifts worth approximately 30,000 won, it is difficult to encourage additional donations,” adding, “If the full tax deduction limit is raised to 200,000 won and the return gift limit is increased to 60,000 won, it will broaden donor choices and boost consumption of local specialty products, creating a virtuous cycle in the local economy.”

She went on to explain, “This is not merely a tax benefit, but actually connects a portion of the taxpayer’s dues directly with the region of their choice, thereby realizing genuine local autonomy.” She also added, “First, we should raise the limit to 200,000 won to assess the policy’s effectiveness, and then consider implementing a stepwise expansion to 300,000 won and 500,000 won over time.”

The forum also introduced best practices from local governments, including resident welfare support cases from Buan County, North Jeolla Province, and specific donor designation and small business donor gift operations from Jung-gu, Daejeon.

A subsequent press conference at the National Assembly press center was attended by lawmakers Taenyoun Kim, Junghyun Park, and Kwanghee Lee, along with Bora Kim, Mayor of Anseong; Jesun Kim, Mayor of Jung-gu in Daejeon; Taek Lim, Mayor of Dong-gu in Gwangju; and Ikhyun Kwon, Mayor of Buan County in North Jeolla Province, who expressed their shared support.

Bora Kim, Mayor of Anseong and Executive Chair of the Sustainable Tourism Local Government Council, held a forum at the National Assembly on the 28th. Provided by Anseong City

The Council strongly requested swift action during this regular session of the National Assembly on the following agenda items: raising the full tax deduction limit to 200,000 won by amending the Restriction of Special Taxation Act; revising the “Act on Hometown Love Donations” to address rules on designated donations and disaster fundraising; and expanding the autonomy of local governments in managing these funds. As the Standing Chairperson city of the Council, Anseong City plans to take the lead in collecting field-level feedback from member municipalities to drive institutional improvements.

Meanwhile, the Sustainable Tourism Local Government Council is an administrative council established in March 2022 to develop joint policies for sustainable tourism. Currently, 28 local governments are members, and the council undertakes policy research, joint projects, workforce capacity-building, the sharing of best practices at home and abroad, and activities to improve relevant institutions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.