Gov't to study measures to mitigate impact of 2019 sales tax hike

"Gov't to study measures to mitigate impact of 2019 sales tax hike"

I have a better idea. Cancel the tax hike instead

the government is expected to study how to control economic fluctuations

Better to learn how to control government spending instead, because for one the government can actually control that, and two cutting 5% of low value government spending would enable the tax hike to be cancelled in a deficit neutral fashion.

Cut some of what they spend on me, for example.

The most obvious way to mitigate it is not charge it on food, the most essential of essentials.

With Abe distributing largess here and there all over the planet, and he and his cronies living a rock star all-expenses-paid lifestyle, the obvious solution is to tighten the belt a little. Cut down on government waste. With computers and automation, the number of government workers should be far less. And some heavy trimming on expense accounts wouldn't go amiss either.

Classic! the government are looking at ways to mitigate the tax hike? Everything except reducing its own spending or lavish subsidies to failed business models. If they wanted to they could reduce the cost of governance by a lot more than 5%. Instead to mitigate their wastefulness they will spend more. Where do you find such people that are so incapable of sence they can only be a politician.

The 2019 sales tax hike, just in time for the 2020 Olympics. Coincidence? I don't think so.

It's easy, raise the minimum wage to 1500 yen per hour in line with other developed countries and remove double taxes like car purchasing tax which does the same job. It is the lower wage people who suffer the most.

They said this back in 2014. Nothing has changed, except people are spending more for no return.

Examine this, regrettable that. Business as usual

I think they will implement this, but the gov well still need to plug that huge hole.

Greying society, increases in health care, fewer children, fewer workers,No immigrants, depopulation increasing in rural areas, increases in defence spending.

I think, when they say they'll learn from Europe what they really mean is, we will see sales tax increase to European levels.

Remember when there was NO sales tax?

Money grab for the rich elite, rest of us message is clear go to hell.

They'll give everyone a coupon to offset the hike on their first purchase... valid only for 30 days.

They should remove the tax for Living essentials - food, water, etc whilst at the same time Increasing the amount of tax for Luxury items - cars, handbags, etc.

Or better still, improve the efficiency of Government so that they wont need the extra cash....

Actually these 60-70+ year olds are focused on getting as much cash as possible. They have no idea how to what to do in retirement. Just repeat their ripping off the public. It would probably take a week to find one dead in a chair. And somehow he had voted for a tax hike.

The government plans to allocate part of the revenue from the tax increase to realize Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy program to expand child care support and free education.

I remember them playing a similar song for the last tax hike. Last time the revenue was to pay off the public debt and increase child care. Neither of these happened. He borrowed more money from the BOJ (twice) and deferred addressing the child care issue for five years.

The government will examine steps to soften the impact of a consumption tax hike next year 

Ah, yes! Remember how they addressed this issue last time. Abe gave corporations huge tax cuts and 'urged' them to pass it on as salary increases, which never happened.

It's difficult to understand why the average height of Japanese people is so low. Their government feeds them so much BS they should all be 9 feet tall!

Let me guess, they're going to ask companies to increase wages or at least bonuses again, then consider it done and say that an increase in wages will offset the tax, increase spending, and fix the economy. The companies will nod politely, asking for more benefits in return, up front, and the government will provide it before the companies don't bother to implement. The government will ask again when they realize that spending has fallen and everyone's holding on to their money because, "We have no idea why, but when we increased costs people want to spend less! We can't understand it! Please cooperate!".

Corporates get a tax cut after turning in record-high profits, while regular working folks, who are denied the benefit of the corporate earnings growth -- get a tax hike. And then the "brain trust" analysts wonder why private consumption is so fragile and the fiscal deficit so large.

The fiscal deficit is large because the government spends 35+ trillion yen more a year than the government has /ever/ taken in in tax revenues in a single year, even when times were ‘great’ during the bubble.

You might spend 100 trillion every once in a while when you really need to, but if you are consistently taking in only 60 trillion yen each year, then consistently spending 95-100 trillion a year is plain stupid.

I predict as one measure, the government will increase the house mortgage balance tax deduction, currently a maximum of 500,000 yen per year for ten years.

Eg boost what is already a 5,000,000 yen income tax cut for rich people who take out loans to buy houses.

i don’t think this is what they should do - only what they will do.

Most ironic in all this is that the government and BOJ have set an annual inflation(cost of living) increase of 2% each year.

That is they want to do the same thing to consumer spending power as the consumption tax hike would do once, every year through inflation, forever.

People get up in arms about a consumption tax hike, but the inflation target should therefore be the first priority to kill.

Remember when there was NO sales tax?

Yep. I've been here that long. I find it so ironic that the most often reason given for doing something is "Nihon dakara." But when it suits them, they will pull out the foreign card and say that they aren't doing anything out of line.