Ruling camp finalizes plan to introduce departure tax from Jan 7, 2019

hope you enjoyed your expensive stay. before you leave, fork over another excess fee, we understand if you NEVER COME BACK AGAIN. thanks for visiting

The government, which aims to attract 40 million overseas visitors annually by 2020 and 60 million by 2030, wants to secure a steady revenue source to pay for measures to further increase the number of visitors to the country.

Wouldn't the huge increase in tax revenue from the additional visitors' spending at hotels, restaurants, omiyagi shops, transit, and airfare cover the additional expenses incurred for such measures?

In 2016, a record 24.04 million foreigners visited Japan, according to data released by the government.

Is this charge only going to be paid by foreigners?

Is this charge only going to be paid by foreigners?

No, anyone foreigner or Japanese, leaving Japan, will be forced to pay the "exit" tax.

I love living in Japan but honestly, I wouldn’t visit here.

Interest that local newspapers, magazines etc carry ads for trips to “the Far East”

visit Thailand, Vietnam... but you rarely, if ever, see ads for Japan.

Guess it’s because folk think it’s too expensive.

Revenue from the new tax will likely be used to enhance security, speed up passage through immigration and customs, and to pay for increased multilingual signage.

Will likely be used...? So they are giving themselves an out when they tell everyone they used the tax money for some improvements on a road to no where!

Oh and this article needs to be more specific, there was a previous article here on JT that stated this was for Tokyo airports only, yet this comes across as being for the entire country!

I think they should go back to the old days and make everyone, Japanese included, go to the local immigration office to fill out a form and buy stamps.

Revenue from the new tax will likely be used to enhance security, speed up passage through immigration and customs, and to pay for increased multilingual signage.

There's the weasel word, slipped in because everyone knows the pigs will have their noses in this money trough as soon as it begins. Just like all that money earmarked for Fukushima ended up supporting whaling, training prison inmates and even funded nuclear research.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/9564820/Japanese-earthquake-recovery-money-going-to-whaling.html

Only a fool would believe anything the LDP says.

Only a fool would believe anything the LDP says.

And there's plenty of those unfortunately.

There's the weasel word, slipped in because everyone knows the pigs will have their noses in this money trough as soon as it begins. Just like all that money earmarked for Fukushima ended up supporting whaling, training prison inmates and even funded nuclear research.

Right on the money.

Only a fool would believe anything the LDP says.

Very true.

>

Won’t be the least bit surprised if they start a welcome to Japan tax next, and the %10 will probably get pushed to 15 in the near future.

Some old men will now buy new cars and their wives will have new Louie Vuitton bags.

Will Abe pay everytime he will leave?

greed!

Funny, when this was first proposed they said the money would be used for more campaigns to attract even more visitors, but now it has been switched to an even more nebulous definition of English signage and more immigration officers, all of which cannot be accounted for. Who is going to go to Haneda or Narita and count the number of foreign language signboards they have?

Why doesn't everybody calm down. Most countries have a departure tax that is alreatdy incorporated into the price of the ticket these days. Until 'fairly' recently most SE Asian countries collected this at the airport before you went through immigration. Japan just didn't have a departure tax - Simple. I would suggest that you all do some research on the amount of departure tax elsewhere before you complain about 1000 Yen.

Most countries have this tax, so this is not controversial in the slightest. I applaud this tax on foreign visitors and actually would like to see it much higher than a measly 1,000 yen, that won't cover much. If you have visitors complaining about a 1,000 yen departure fee, I would say they can't afford the stay in the first place and shouldn't be let in

@dcog - I am a foreign Permanent Resident of Japan so this will not only impact foreign "visitors". I pay enough taxes to Japan.

I am a taxpayer (personally and through a business I own) and I am complaining about this fee. I believe thos of us living here pay enough taxes already. Consider excluding residents (which is not hard to do with today's technology) and have an accurate accounting of what the money is used for and I would consider changing my thoughts on this.

Hey good idea, so the consumption tax increase can be left alone now right?

Revenue from the new tax will likely be used to enhance security, speed up passage through immigration and customs, and to pay for increased multilingual signage.

Will 'likely' be used for? What a huge crock of poop! It's just a blatant cash-grab for the Olympics! They rushed the approval through with no plan of how to use the revenue or solid reason for introducing it. It's just a cash0grab! Scum bags!

I remember having to pay such a fee back in the 80's, been grounded here since. So is this different from what you used to have to pay or are they just bringing it back? Please forgive my ignorance!

Never mind, it was the Passenger Service Facility Charge.

Correct @Middleoftheroad, Which is now incorporated into the ticket. You clearly remember the ticket machines at Narita before you went downstairs to Immigration

So what happens to the taxes from all the foreign visitors? Consumption tax for...hotels, restaurants, konbini purchases...

Well they have reduced the seating for the Olymipcs that's a net loss. A further tax on wait for it arrivals, departure tax at the moment, bet it will be increased. Tourism Japan style, tax you on every purchase, tax you on accomodation then tax you when you leave. Next because you actually visited Japan there is a yearly tax on having visited Japan. And all this tax money goes? Well answering that is embarrassing.

theResidentToday 08:53 am JST

Why doesn't everybody calm down. Most countries have a departure tax that is alreatdy incorporated into the price of the ticket these days. Until 'fairly' recently most SE Asian countries collected this at the airport before you went through immigration. Japan just didn't have a departure tax - Simple. I would suggest that you all do some research on the amount of departure tax elsewhere before you complain about 1000 Yen.

You have to agree that rushing it before 2020 is a bit ... suspect.

New, dreamed up sources of revenue extracted from helpless punters are like catnip to salivating politicians. Just like candy from a baby, innit?

Nessie.

How would they differentiate between who paid what tax at a combini, where All purchases are taxed.

Most Foreigners don't pay taxes at duty-free shops, Hotels, etc but that generates paperwork that slows boarding, etc.

I am not upset about the 1000yen fee, there are way more hidden costs this days for a flight.

Revenue from the new tax will likely be used to enhance security, speed up passage through immigration and customs, and to pay for increased multilingual signage.

This is a BOLD faced LIE! Any $$ taken will be wasted on amakudari, kick backs, etc. EARTH to ldp! INCREASED tourism ALREADY provides TONS of extra $$$ to the economy to pay for a few signs!!

Oh & I bet the ldp will easily find ways to spend a lot more than is collected ENSURING more debt for Japan...........

NUTS!

So train fare, plus expensive food, fuel tax, restrictive airport security so no personal stuff, seat allocation fee, ¥500 for a beer...now another ¥1000 just for leaving your house. 20% of the world live on under ¥400 a day.

Tax tax and more taxes.....Taxes out of your pay. Taxes at the register. Taxes on your house. Taxes at the post office. Taxes everywhere. Japan come on. I miss Koizumi and the good ole days.

How about a tax every time you enter/leave any given town? It's not a new idea for Japan. They were called sekisho. Tolls, tolls, tolls!

"Ruling camp"??  This is such a scam.  They are already squeezing locals so hard on taxes - this is mainly aimed at taking more foreigners money , especially the influx at Olympics time.

Wonder if it will apply to Domestic departures ?

@Goodlucktoyou: Just fly ANA then!  No fuel tax, No seat allocation fee, generous baggage allowance (all classes) and FREE beer!  Kind of missing your point. If you can afford to fly..you can afford 1000 Yen Departure tax.

@Goodlucktoyou: Just fly ANA then! No fuel tax, No seat allocation fee, generous baggage allowance (all classes) and FREE beer!

And the newest planes, better food than similarly priced competition, good in-flight entertainment options, and most of all the hottest young stewardesses in its price range. There really isn't anything to dislike about ANA.

There really isn't anything to dislike about ANA

Try taking a long haul trip on one of their 9 seats across 787s. It's awful.

The "departure tax" will mostly be used to re-employ useless retired bureaucrats. That's why the plan doesn't contain any costed items of expenditure, just vague statements about what might be done.