Tax Increase for People, Tax Evasion for Politician

In the discussion at Committee on Budget in House of Representatives, there is an ongoing discussion that the lawmakers with Liberal Democratic Party who were involved in slush fund scandal might have committed tax evasion. The opposition parties accused of LDP’s secret fund from factions to lawmakers as possible object of taxation, if a part of it had not spent and been remaining in the lawmaker’s hand. The discussion may further generate public criticisms against the handling of political fund by LDP lawmakers.

In the discussion of the committee, one of the members of Constitutional Democratic Party argued that former LDP Secretary General, Akira Amari, had received ¥380 million of “political activities fund” from LDP during 35 days between October and November in 2021, when he was at the position of secretary general. To the question whether he had completely spent all that fund, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida insisted that he recognized that money to have properly been dealt with.

 

Political activities fund is passed from a party to some leaders, which is not required to record on political fund report. Financial resource of the fund includes tax money collected from the people. One of the officers with National Tax Agency witnessed in the committee that a lawmaker would have to pay tax for the fund, if a part of it remains without being spent.

 

If Amari had not spent all the amount he received from LDP, he had to pay tax for the remaining. If Amari had properly spent all the fund, he must have been spending ¥450 thousand every hour for those 35 days. A source in LDP explainedthat the fund was spent for political advertisement including TV commercial.

 

The government of Japan plans to collect monthly ¥500 per person, as “the support for children and raising children,” for one of the important policies of Kishida administration for dealing with depopulation. Raising Kishida’s explanation on his policy that there would be no increase in people’s payment, the opposition parties criticize that the ¥500 of monthly payment must be regarded as a tax increase.

 

It is the season for the people in Japan to report the income in last year for a month from mid-February. The opposition parties offend LDP as effectively imposing tax on the people, in the season when the people are interested in tax, arguing that the lawmakers with the leading party evade tax on political fund. “Tax increase for people, tax evasion for politicians,” the head of CDP, Kenta Izumi, labeled Kishida’s policy in the committee.

 

Kishida explained that the payment for the people would be reduced by the reform of governmental spendings. However, it is not likely that the people will fundamentally believe in the words of Kishida, whose approval rate keeps on declining.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when ...
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, ...
Read more

Not A Royal Wedding

The bride called her husband an indispensable existence and their marriage was necessary choice to protect their mind. The groom insisted on his life as only once and his right to be with his loved one. Her father wanted his daughter’s marriage to be celebrated by the people. The people were not sure whether the family was happy as a whole. Is this the traditional Japanese social system that makes no one happy? Mako Komuro, as known as Princess Mako during her life in one of the royal family Akishino, held on Tuesday a press conference with her husband Kei Komuro, right after submitting marriage report to local government. It was something different from ordinary Q&A session, because Mako was afraid of her mental uneasiness brought by some questions not based on truth. So, the event was actually one-sided speech to the reporters. Mako emphasized that the Kei’s decision of studying abroad five years ago had not been his original idea, but a result of her request to establish an over...
Read more