국민 76% "정부 세금 더 거둬 복지확대, 정당"...한국 소득재분배 OECD 최하위권서 점차 개선
A recent survey shows, majority of South Koreans think it is okay to collect more taxes to bolster the welfare system.
Meanwhile, an OECD report shows... although the country's income inequality is bad compared to other members, it has been gradually improving.
Here's Yoon Jung-min with a breakdown of the numbers.
More than 7 out of 10 South Koreans would be okay with paying more taxes for expanded welfare services.
According to a survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, nearly 76 percent of respondents said the government should increase taxes to bolster the country's welfare system. On the other hand, some 22 percent were against the idea, saying the spending is waste of taxpayers' money.
The survey was conducted on more than 3-thousand-800 adults nationwide from June to September last year.
The survey also found that more than 68 percent of the respondents agree with the government's measures to put limits on conglomerates so that they can't infringe on small-and-medium-sized businesses.
The OECD says South Korea's Gini coefficient for 2016, an index that measures inequality, improved by 11-point-7 percent when comparing the coefficient before and after taxes.
Though the improvement rate is relatively low compared to other OECD countries, Korea has been gradually reducing its levels of inequality since 2006.
Meanwhile, Finland had the most redistributive taxes in the OECD, with its Gini coefficient after tax improving by more than 48 percent compared to the rate before tax.
Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.
