People’s Korea is a tax-free socialist paradise-special article by Dr Dermot Hudson

                                 

In the UK and indeed other countries of the capitalist world taxation is causing a lot of disgruntlement , to put it mildly and somewhat understate it . Many local councils in the UK are increasing council tax bills by 4.99 per cent which is above the rate of inflation. Today I was shocked to open a letter from my local authority which said I would have to pay an extra £6 per month in council tax ! Since I moved into my present residence nearly 9 years ago ,council tax has increased by a staggering £38 ! . Some local councils will increase their council tax an unbelievable 7 per cent or 8 per cent . Despite these massive above inflation increases some local councils in the UK are actually facing bankruptcy , you do seriously wonder what they do with the money . Of course council tax is in addition to different kinds of central taxation and taxes such as Value Added Tax (VAT).

   

 However in one country , People’s Korea , April will not see citizens receiving stark demands for council or indeed any other kind of tax  ! . This is because on the 21st of March 1974 , in accordance with Article.33 of the 1972 edition Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK )  which stipulated that “ The state abolishes taxation, a holdover of the old society.” The abolition of taxation in the DPRK had originally been put forward at the 4th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in  1961 and in 1962 comrade KIM JONG IL gave a talk to students of KIM IL SUNG University titled ‘On Our Party’s People’s Oriented Policy of Ultimately Abolishing the Tax System “.

The DPRK set about the task of abolishing taxation step by step . In the period 1964-1966 peasants were freed from agricultural tax in kind . Only income tax and local authority tax remained , By the 1970s taxes accounted for only a small fraction of state revenue . The DPRK’s far reaching and ambitious social welfare programme was instead funded from the profits of state-owned industry .

Thus in the spring of 1974 the DPRK completely abolished taxation. On March 21st 1974 the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK  decided as follows ; “1. The tax system, a vestige of the old society, shall be abolished completely,

2. The Administration Council of the DPRK shall take measures to implement this law, and

3. The law shall be effective from April 1, 1974”

 At the same time as the abolition  of taxation the DPRK  reduced prices by 30 per cent on average . A truly epochal measure for raising living standards . In Britain prices just go up and up . Recently , water bills were increased even though water is a natural resource which cannot have increased costs.

 As President KIM IL SUNG said “ The abolition of the tax system in our country is the brilliant victory of the great Juche idea as well as a demonstration of the incomparable advantages of our socialist system which is the embodiment of the Juche idea and the great capability of our socialist independent national economy.

Thanks to the immortal Juche idea and its brilliant victory, our people are being provided with a richer, independent and creative life in the socialist land of happiness, where there is no exploitation, oppression or taxation.”

 The abolition of taxation was only possible under the Juche-based , advanced socialist system of the DPRK . In People’s Korea citizens enjoy free housing as well as free education and free health care . This is a miracle of Juche-based socialism . People’s Korea is indeed a tax-free socialist paradise .

Dr Dermot Hudson

Chairman Korean Friendship Association UK 

Chairman British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea 

Hon Secretary General Global Farmy For KIM JONG UN People ’First policies