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© KYODOTheme-park food to be taxed 10% if eaten at table; 8% if eaten while walking
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Yubaru
Yeah and WTF are they going to do with all the food courts in the shopping malls? I can think of a few more places where this is GOING to be a problem! Are theme parks going to have "tax" watchers now?
"Excuse me sir, you just bought that and said you were going to eat it while walking! If you sit on the ground, you will have to pay the additional 2% tax!" Being said with a sweet "Disney" smile!
This is just asinine! These stupid measures are to appease the people.!
SaikoPhysco
For a country that prides itself by defining everything in order to stay away from awkward situations this is a massive reversal. Be prepared to hear "motchi-kaeri" or "take-away", quite often from now on. Now you're going to begin to wonder, did I get far enough away from the store for this to be 8%.
Yubaru
I can see stores in the future just flat rate charging customers 8% and either eating the 2% in tax, or taking away any and ALL seating in the places they control!
My local conbini has a cafe area, and from what I heard from one of the managers that I know who works there, they will be taking out all the seating BECAUSE they dont want to have to ask each and every customer, "Are you going to eat it here or take it home!"
sourpuss
Looks like they'll have to fence off the table areas with their own cashiers.
Otherwise, it just doesn't seem feasible.
Jonathan Prin
All non-sense.
Just ask for a take out and still eat inside.
Samit Basu
Who wrote this crazy tax code?
8T
Stupid rule!!
kurisupisu
Taxing people so that their children can get something to eat is repulsive.
NCIS Reruns
Food should not be taxed at all. It is necessary for human sustenance. Likewise medicine and rent. It the attempt to appear "fair," the consumption tax exposes the stupidity of its designers.
Jeff Huffman
Fascinating. The Japanese government devises a tax scheme that encourages a behavior that has historically be considered rude.
gogogo
Wait what? Abe before the election said there was no need to raise the taxes for 10 years.... How did we get back here?
Yubaru
Medicine proscribed from hospitals and covered by medical insurance and rent are currently exempt from the consumption tax already ,and I agree that basic grocery items should also be tax exempt.
kohakuebisu
You have to draw a line somewhere, I'd have it as zero on food at the supermarket and 10% for takeaways/restaurants, but this is ridiculous. Taxation is never going to be popular, but this creates extra bad feeling.
When I was younger, I have a vague memory of fast food in the UK having different prices for eat in and takeaway, but it didn't last very long.
JeffLee
Boycott Japanese theme parks. That's easy enough: they're crowded and underwhelming, anyway.
kohakuebisu
Presumably this also means that McDonalds etc. will be cheaper if you eat it in your car in their car park.
For the curry place CocoIchiban, it means its cheaper to get it in a single-use plastic container than on a plate. Things served in single use plastic, bentos etc. should be taxed more, not less.
Blacklabel
This is dumb. Even the article by the end was saying 10 percent for dining out, when 10 percent is actually dining in.
they seriously even break this down into meal with toy or not with toy?
Wallace Fred
In a true democracy, given how scandal ridden the regime is, ludicrous schemes such as these would not even be discussed.
The economy is on life support, wages have never raised and yet woop dee doo the silver spoon morons are going ahead to punish the masses.
How anyone can still think this is a top tier country is beyond me yo be honest.
papigiulio
Wasn't there an article recently that they wanted to stop tourists from eating and walking in Kamakura? And now this? Anyway as everyone said above, ridiculous rule.
u_s__reamer
Traditionally, tatchigui has not been considered good manners in Japan, but the LDP's 2% insult is going to prompt many Japanese to revise their thinking and start a new tradition of exercising while swallowing just the 8%.
spinningplates
Meh...seems simple enough...just 3 buttons on the register. Take out, Eat in, With toy. Boom
Who cares what happens after the sale when you're only making Y900/hr?
Bugle Boy of Company B
It gets better. Food you purchase at the movie theater will be taxed at 8% because you are taking it to YOUR seat. I suppose this is because you paid for your seat vs. not paying for a seat specifically in a restaurant. So if there is a table charge in a restaurant, technically, you are paying for that seat, so one could argue that you should only pay 8% when eating in such an establishment.
BlackFlagCitizen
In time this ridiculous taxing scheme will not be enforced as the staff ringing you up isn't going to give a crap what you do after the sale (too much hassle for minimum wage)
afanofjapan
Unpopular opinion: Make it all 10%, and do it yesterday. 2% is not going to hurt my budget, but having to wait until i see the bill to know the total cost will impact my budgeting ability.
I know Americans are used to having random taxes thrown in at the end, variable tip amounts etc. But when i see a price on an item, thats the price i expect to pay! And if you insist on showing the pre-tax price, then at least make the tax easy to calculate (5, or 10%).
What about those living on a knife-edge budget? Well for starters, thats not a very good way to live. Maybe this will motivate you to find a better paying job. Or maybe the govt should introduce a 2% welfare rebate if its such a problem.
oldman_13
Fascinating.
So the theme parks actually seem to go against Japanese cultural norms.
That is, in Japanese society, eating while walking is frowned upon, or eating in random spots.
Well, two percent tax difference is hardly something to lose sleep over, but interesting nonetheless.
kyronstavic
Don't you just love government - ignoring old problems and creating new ones.
Only a government and its attendant bureaucracy could come up with such an unworkable tax system and consider it a good idea. Sir Humphrey would be proud.
ClippetyClop
A tax rule that encourages littering, brilliant.
GW
Dumb & dumber! What sheer idiocy!!
Why am I surprised NOT!!!
Scrote
This is bizarre. Why not just set the tax on newspapers at 8% no matter where or how they are bought?
According to the government's "logic" people in wheelchairs should always pay 8% tax for restaurant food as they are always sitting in their own seat. It would be much simpler to tax all restaurant and cooked food at 10% and fresh produce at 8%. I can see situations where restaurants will claim their chairs and tables are owned by a separate company so that they can charge the lower tax rate.
oyatoi
“Who cares what happens after the sale when you're only making Y900/hr?”
You mean ¥901. Santa’s early this year!
https://japantoday.com/category/business/panel-proposes-average-minimum-wage-of-more-than-900-yen-for-1st-time
vic.M
afanofjapan
Do you really think that people want to work at a job for 900 yen per hour ? Many companies that should pay a proper livable wage employ people on contract and non permanent work thanks to the morons who bought this system in to Japan.
I know people who had special training for their job, and then after 5 years have to leave unless the company employs permanently. But, the good news is that they can return to the same job after 6 months away. People from necessity want to continue their work after 5 years even on their low wage but are punished by these idiotic Japanese rules.
spektral
darn complicated system...plus it relies on trusting where customers say they will eat...why don't they just unify everything...eating out is a luxury regardless of where u eat the food...it's not like tables and chairs are working for the government...in any case I am glad they did not increase prices for daily items...back at home it is like that too...fresh produce specially should have the lowest taxes (if any) and just charge luxury items and other things people can generally do without...
also that weird condition about the conbini and whether u eat there in the resting space or not...that is plain stupid...no one deems conbini as luxury restaurants anyway...
Serrano
Looks like I'll be walking. Need the exercise anyway, lol.
Food should not be taxed at all. It is necessary for human sustenance. Likewise medicine and rent.
And beer!
Want to stimulate the economy? Cut the tax back to 5%, giving people more of their money to spend as they see fit instead of taking more of of their money, and CUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING!
Realization
Looks our Govt. like to make everything twisted.
Why don't you consider nor to increase consumption tax?
Or if you determined then just make it 9% for everything same now 8% for everything.
Then some of software or shop account need to do extra work to ask not to ask customer.
Who is the wrong headed planner?
shonanbb
Real food, not processed, medicines, baby diapers and other baby items, school bags/books/pencils etc., eye glasses, hearing aids and other physical devices for those handicapped should have zero tax.
Everything else at 10% is fine with me. But Make tobacco 100%
Do the hustle
This does not make any sense at all! Meals that come with toys and the value is two-thirds of the total? What bloody total? The total for the table? So, one adult and four kids?
Delivered newspapers are 8%, but store bought newspapers are 10%? That is just malarkey!
The thing with the Japanese sales tax system is, everything is taxed several times. Wholesalers pay tax to manufacturers and growers, Retailers pay tax to wholesalers and consumers pay tax to retailers. This can result in 40-50% tax on an item depending on how many sets of hands it has gone through to get to the consumer. This is a complete rip off for consumers.
mariasjapan
Insanely hilarious!!!
Wakarimasen
this type of stupidityWe are already taxed to the bone. Instead of these ridiculous schemes wasting time and money stop throwing away government money on . And stop QE.
Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89
My wife still won’t eat or drink anything on the street while walking saying that it has always been considered low-class behavior. Looks like that custom may disappear completely. Government sponsored culture change.
Why not reverse it? 10% on take away and 8% on eat in?
Speed
Lawmakers here need to be better educated.
TrevorPeace
One day, one would hope, Japan's tax czars might grow up. Any tax on food is a killer.
HenryK
Hope they'll be able to explain this to all the tourist.
sf2k
weird rule. but if they wanted to reduce waste on streets it should have been the other way round. It's okay though they don't know what they're doing
Roger Jolly
So I grab my tray at the restaurant and eat on the sidewalk...? Can I? lol
They are so doomed in their minds... lol
sf2k
just not on every second Thursday every other month
Ricky Kaminski13
Cue the table and chair police. The threat is real!
umbrella
Totally crazy situation but what you come to expect of all the incompetents in the J government. Great comments by all the posters above, gave me a good laugh! Well done all!
fxgai
A simple flat rate tax system should have been maintained.
There are other ways to alleviate the extra burden on no-to-low income earners. Creating all these extra rules for people who are rich enough to visit theme parks, is more proof that the politicians, bureaucrats, and other supporting a multi-rate sales tax, took their eyes off the ball.
rgcivilian1
Ok and on top of the soon to be "consumption tax" him that's 20% tax additional. mmmm. something sounds quite not right here...Actually I'm wrong because the ticket to get in will have 10% so its like 39 to 30%...hmm I will find something else for entertainment.
kohakuebisu
It's already changing, I think. Tv shows show celebs walking down the street enjoying "ippon gurume", i.e., stuff on sticks. We went to Ise Jingu, supposedly the holiest place in Japan, earlier this year and the main street there was full of people eating stuff, mostly dango or savoury stuff on sticks. They don't make a point of getting gaijin to go there, some prudish Japanese think the site is for pilgrimages not tourists, and at least 90% of the people there were Japanese.
You don't see folks stuffing down a burger while walking down the street. That's too far for most people.
shonanbb
This is actually an Olympic Math Mind Juggling Event.
bass4funk
This is so dumb, boycott the theme parks and crowds and and taxes and go camping, leave the city get in touch with nature with one’s self and don’t feed the beast.
that person
Jeff HuffmanToday 07:44 am JST
Pulled it right outta my mouth!
Wow. I mean, just, wow. Who came up with THAT brilliant idea. I could just imagine a group of mama tomos clogging shopping mall food courts trying to figure out how much it'll all cost! Soon enough, only AI will be able to get jobs as cashiers!!!! ;p
Mark_McCracken
The profit margin on theme park food is so big I'd hope theme parks would just charge one price for food items and take the 2 percent from their profits, if the customer sits down.
spinningplates
What is also going to be hilarious, is...
'I'd like to sit and eat my lunch, but I'll have the drink and dessert to go.'
Bugle Boy of Company B
Buy lunch to eat in. Pay 10% tax.
No seats. Go back to register and get 2% refund because you’re leaving?
justasking
Whoever thought of this must be really, really, bored.
garypen
Something being unnecessarily complicated in Japan? How unusual.
Yubaru
Tobacco damn near is already at 100%, and even if it were doubled from today's prices it would STILL be cheaper here to buy tobacco than in many other countries.
The average price for a pack of JT Tobacco (Mevious) is 480 per pack.
Kazuaki Shimazaki
SerranoToday 10:14 am JST
What can be cut? The only big, obvious place to cut is social security, and good luck getting enough people to agree to that.
There should have been a law from the get-go - Social Security should be limited to the amount that can be gained from taxes, not bonds, and rationed on a best efforts basis.
Too late now, in any case.
shogun36
I think the rules are too simple, how can we make them more difficult?
If you take a napkin-tissue with your food, you must pay a 13% tax.
If you require oxygen while in line waiting to order, that's a 37% tax.
If you are wearing shoes in the establishment that's an additional 7% tax, but if you are wearing sandals it is only an extra 3.5%. If you are barefoot, we give you a 10% refund.
If you are wearing anything with a Yomiuri Giants logo on it, you pay a 85% tax.
If you enjoy logical thinking, sorry you are not allowed in our restaurant. House rules.That will make things easier.
afanofjapan
And there you go. My comment on this motivating you to get a better job may not be fair. But if you are on a knife edge, and going to a theme park, then you have your priorities wrong.
Minimum wage here is laughable. But the tear-jerker news piece they showed for this was a guy who can only afford two combini onigiri and a pokari sweat to eat all day, because didnt earn enough to buy lunch/dinner.
But, going into a combini to buy 400yen worth of onigiri and drink, which is less than 1/4 of your daily calorie requirements? Idiot, you need to cook at home where 400yen can stretch out to 3 filling meals. I think the number of people who's budget would be genuinely broken by the 2% increase would be down to a few families. Give those families some assistance, and everyone is happy.
SwissToni
The rule isn’t that difficult, just the explanation. In my opinion taxing basic essentials is taxing the poorest most heavily. These should be tax free. Eating out, whether at a restaurant or take away is not essential, taxing at the full rate is fine.
Brian Wheway
Some cafes have tables out side, so you walk out side after saying ill take it away, or going to sit on the grass out side the cafe/restaurant, are you now committing fraud? will you be arrested? will every body walk out side, then walk back inside because its "raining" will the be charged another 2%? and who's going to enforce this silly regulation? also if you pay the extra tax by sitting inside, then the child who's excited and want go and run around a team park, can the parents get a refund ?
Spidey
And this from the minds of those that have probably never paid for a meal out of their own pockets... typical.
S
Robert pearce
What about disabled people who cant walk ?
Are their families going to walk around in circles eating while their disabled family member sits there eating ??
Sneezy
Yes.
No.
smithinjapan
This is so lame. I'm just going to tell them at Starbucks it's "to go" and then sit down and drink it. What are they going to do? And if I eat in but can't finish the meal (or don't want to) ask as them to put it in take out containers, who much tax can I ask for back? :)
smithinjapan
afanofjapan: "But, going into a combini to buy 400yen worth of onigiri and drink, which is less than 1/4 of your daily calorie requirements? Idiot, you need to cook at home where 400yen can stretch out to 3 filling meals."
What are you on about? There is no way that in Japan 400 yen will get you three meals worth of food at a supermarket. Hell, it wouldn't even at Daiso.
smithinjapan
And aren't there places like Kamikochi, popular more than ever for being able to eat while walking, demanding the practice be stopped? haha. Good luck now!
kusunoki
This often happens in the USA also -- "restaurant tax" is charged on eat-in orders, but not on takeout orders. But it depends on the state and jurisdiction, so people aren't generally aware of what the difference is.
Whatsnext
This is full retart.
Making all these wacky laws for which tax is what percent just makes more paper work and more spending on people to sort it out.
Just choose one flat tax. Japanese government is full of morons that grew up with silver spoon in hand.
Whatsnext
Go back to 5 percent flat sales tax and see the country's economy explode and get that so desired inflation. LDP would be heros.
But they are so dumb. They got this belief that the government has to provide everything for people. They are economy killers, bronze statue hunters.
Barge
Hm. I was schooled that eating while walking was a big no no in Japan. Now tax will promote doing so.
Barge
Lunch. 40 yen bread. 100 yen tuna, 20 yen lettuce, 30 yen mayo.
Dinner. 50 yen rice, 200 yen fish, 20 yen miso, 100 yen veg, 100 yen dessert.
Grand total:. 785 yen full day full meals. Throw in 15 yen of tea and 100 for a midday snack. 900 yen done and done.
mmwkdw
Table-charges were normal in Japan a decade ago in Japan - seems they're coming back.
Oh, and let's say I wanted to squeeze that extra 2% out of visitors, I'd also charge 2% for throwing away rubbish, plus have an exorbitant fine for dropping litter.
Ha ha.. and to make it even more Scrooge like... I would ban liquids or lunch boxes being brought onto the premises.
serendipitous1
And no doubt customers will fight when one who paid 10% and sits at a table overhears the other only paid 8% but is also sitting at a table. Ridiculous. Just make it 10% across the board (or, even better, 5%).
juminRhee
And 6% if running, 4% if juggling, and 2% if biking one-sided or on unicycle.
spinningplates
serendipitous1Today 10:13 pm JST
And no doubt customers will fight when one who paid 10% and sits at a table overhears the other only paid 8% but is also sitting at a table. Ridiculous. Just make it 10% across the board (or, even better, 5%).
Only in a society of programmed snitches could that happen....oh wait.....
juminRhee
Afanofjapan:
The US also allows price-plus scheme (essentially a corporate tax to the consumer). They falsely claim that item A is $1.99. They bring to register and it shows $2.15 before tax and $2.30 after tax. The first 16 cents is the internal tax the company puts on the consumer. Personally, I think all items should have full price (after tax and after gimmick add-ons) marked. Let me see item A price tag showing $2.30 instead of the falsely advertised $1.99.
Bugle Boy of Company B
McD's clerk: Dining in?
Me: (coyly) Maaaaaayyyybeeee!!!
Darren
In slowing economies higher taxes are not needed and will further slow economies even more.
starpunk
What a rip, man! Somebody sits down lotus style to eat, then what? 'Uhhhh, I'm just getting up now!'.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
juminRhee
Darren:
Taxes may not be needed at all if govt owns even a minority of shares in large and medium size corporations. The dividends from such could pay for defence (Not the American global style), healthcare, and pensions. Hegg, may even be able to give everyone $1000 per month too like Yang says.
mike1492
Indeed. Sitting next to people while eating and hearing their sounds is reprehensible. I prefer walking while ingesting food so if attacked by flatulence nobody will be bothered by it.
FizzBit
Meanwhile, Japanese corporations are downsizing everything. A popular clothes detergent just went from 900 grams to 810 grams, One Morinaga cookie box went from 10 down to 8.
Quality is swirling the toilet more and more, and this idea that a first world nation must live like developing nation when it comes to the use of air conditioners is pathetic.
Ah well suckers!
Douglas Whitman
Why is anyone at all surprised by this 8% vs 10% scheme - this IS Japan.
WilliB
So now the politicians want to promote eating while walking? How stupid can you get.
stormcrow
What happens if I say I'm going to eat while I'm walking and then I sit down at the establishment in question and eat my meal there anyway?
Will I be arrested? Will I be fined?
beentofivecontinents
"Make it all 10%, and do it yesterday. 2% is not going to hurt my budget, but having to wait until i see the bill to know the total cost will impact my budgeting ability."
Then lower the high tariffs to keep food costs down to more reasonable levels too.
Cliff
Another super stupid, idiotic tax rule. I never heard of taxing two difference tax on one product by the government. PM Abe seems to be sleepy when his minister shows him the latest tax rule. Someone please refer Abe Government's Consumer tax policy to Guinness Record.
Who was the responsible for the stupid tax policy?
So the sell girl will have to ask the customer questions before taking money "walk or sit"?
I'll always answer "walk" but after that I'll sit at the table.
This news will make Japan laughing stock on the International headline.
afanofjapan
@smithinjapan
@zichi
I didnt say healthy and nutritious, let alone gourmet. I'm talking about eating to survive. This guy was eating 2 onigiri and a pokari sweat. He wasnt trying to eat healthy. A 5kg bag of rice is about 1500yen these days. This makes 10kg of cooked rice (will disregard cost of water since that would be in the order of 10 yen or so). A satchet of furikake is about 100yen. And With that you can already make 100 onigiri (100g each) for less than 16yen a piece. You could eat much more than 2000 calories a day for much less than 400yen.
Want to jazz it up a little? Nori sheets for 200yen, probably less than 10 yen per onigiri. Some umeboshi if you are Japanese (not really my idea of tasty), or 100 yen for a can of tuna, 100yen for some mayonaise to make tuna-mayo onigiri. Want to eat something other than onigiri? Buy chicken breast at 50yen/100g, bag of moyashi, shiokosho, and some spinach or hakusai for 100yen or so.
I plan my meals and do the cooking. I aim for 250yen/per serving and can do so with an amazing variety of healthy food. This is more than his budget obviously, but i am not struggling like he is.
Henny Penny
No Europeans here?
People from many European countries find the sales tax in Japan ridiculous low. I came to Japan from Britain where the sales tax (VAT) is 20.0%. In Ireland it is 23.0%. In Sweden it is 25.0%.
In Britain, as is proposed for Japan, the VAT rate depends on whether you "eat in" or "take away."
Commentators here are ridiculing Japan for something that is not at all unusual in Europe.
Brian Wheway
one of the top 10 things NOT to do in Japan is eating and walking at the same time, I've seen it quite a few times on youtube. so it looks like the J government is promoting bad manners.
Patrick Kimura-Macke
The prices are not true in the first place because it is too much of a coincidence that so many end in 9 or 99 etc.