Group of lawmakers urge Abe to stick with sales tax hike

Dan Lewis: How would the lawmakers calm their vested interests?

How about we don't proceed with the sales tax hike?

Raise the sales tax and issue bonds to get the country even further in debt. Who in their right mind thinks this would help improve the economy?

This is the worst idea I've ever heard of. Many businesses, Starbucks and Uniqlo among them - still add on the tax at the register. I've an even better idea. How about returning the tax to pre-2014 levels?

Dear Mr Kozo Yamamoto, how about we meet in the middle you raise the tax to 10% if the J Gov can cut its spending and wages by the same, sound fair......

Of course this is coming from the LDP elites. They know a 10% sales hike wouldn't affect them in the slightest because they're the modern day aristocracy. Might as well tell poor Japanese families to eat cake.

@article: A group of Japan’s ruling lawmakers has urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to proceed with a planned sales tax hike next April

This should be coupled with a reduction of the already too generous lawmakers’ salaries and work allowances.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria is affiliated with a party that is a full member of Socialist International. Socialsts always want more taxes so they can spend your money for you.

The LDP are socialists. To their friends, anyway.

Abe has said he will make an appropriate decision on the sales tax increase, taking into account opinions from experts on the economy.

this statement should read, "We will increase sales tax straight after the election!"

The wind direction must have changed.

yes, it's election time.

Nothing new here, the establishment,not only in Japan but worldwide be it politician or bureaucrat is a private members club, or should I say private parasites club. These individuals wouldn't even know the price of a litre of milk. Notice that these politicians and bureaucrats only survive as a group,as individuals they wouldn't survive. Who ever believes that these politicians elected by the people ever serve the interests of the people. As bjohnson23 said, history has never changed, in the establishments mind, citizens are here to serve the masters or in the present , those in power, equality, well thats only for dreamers, like me.

I am playing a devil's advocate here to those who are against the sales tax hike. How do you balance the budget withhout killing the National Health Care system? It is easily said than done. Anyone?

Kozo Yamamoto, one of the architects of Abe’s economic policy strategy who previously proposed the tax hike be delayed.

The wind direction must have changed.

Too many taxes...simplify. Consumption tax, property tax, income tax, vehicle tax, gas tax (double taxation anyone?), enterprise tax (mom & pop businesses, not incorporated entities - so they get taxed despite not getting the benefit of limited liability), pension/SS tax, whew!

My proposal: 1) Ratio pay tax (RPT) to replace enterprise & corporate income taxes. If the difference in pay between the lowest & highest worker is under 6 (1:1 - 1:5), then they should pay 0%. Most mom& pop stores would benefit from that. Franchises would be taxed with ratio between franchisee and franchiser instead.

2) National & prefectural lotteries to help raise funds.

3) National and/or prefectural businesses that compete at market rate. The profits go to govt funding. This is used in Kuwait with great success (read: no taxation for average person).

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria is affiliated with a party that is a full member of Socialist International. Socialsts always want more taxes so they can spend your money for you.

No one picked up on this. They are already announcing next tax increase. To pair down the debt, 10% would not even make a dent. It will be be 20%, followed by more public works projects, the Meji Era has returned.

How do I know this... Here is the comment:The lawmakers also proposed that the government should declare it won't raise the tax beyond 10% for the moment.'****

The 10% is already in, and they are already planning the next hike. Amazing. Everyone took a 10% cut in wages and the lemming are still waddling. Some people are slow to learn.

How do you balance the budget withhout killing the National Health Care system?

Apparently, we don't need to. The government is supposed to just keep spending the money for now, because this scheme hasn't blown up yet, and therefore it shouldn't in future either. So with that knowledge, everyone can just relax and go about their business without worrying about what the future holds. It's happy days!

Then again, if today's beneficiaries of all the government spending aren't supposed to pay their fair share of all the money being spent on their behalf, I'm not sure who is. The kids and unborn children?

Who is worried about the 10% tax hike now, anyway? The LDP and Komeito have already gutted the consumption tax with the introduction of a multiple rate system, exempting favoured products from future increases. Further out though, that means that to obtain a certain amount of extra tax revenues, the consumption tax rate will just have to go up even higher still. It's yet another brilliant plan from the short term thinkers in power.

The lawmakers also proposed that the government should declare it won’t raise the tax beyond 10% for the moment.

it won’t raise the tax beyond 10% for the moment???? Does that mean that they are planning to raise the sales tax EVEN MORE???

We propose financial authorities take responsibility to make the economy uptrend by fiscal spending equivalent with delaying the tax hike,”

Great! I propose a 40% pay cut in ALL politicans' salaries and bonuses. If we are serious about financial authorities taking responsibility to make the economy uptrend....

The government needs to allocate 10 trillion yen in the regular budget for next fiscal year and 7 trillion yen in fiscal 2018 to help consumer spending and for public work projects, the statement said.

Translation: more pork barrel spending is needed to line our pockets.

The 10% is already in, and they are already planning the next hike. Amazing. Everyone took a 10% cut in wages and the lemming are still waddling. Some people are slow to learn

I concur. If the Japanese people are insane enough to keep electing these economic butchers again and again, they deserve everything that they get.

What history has always shown the people at least those who read or are literate enough to pay attention, it is always the politicians, or rather group of ministers around the king or emperor who kept the people poor. Why does this groups request not be surprising. My idea is if this group is so hungry and willing to have Abe keep his word, then have Abe target this group and let them pay the tax increase...

Stop giving billions to other countries!!!

globalwatcher:

My proposal may do such, but there are no research papers or real-life examples of any country with high debt and healthcare costs relieved by such. Using economic software, a sales tax of 25% or an income tax of 30% (averaged) by themselves would likely fund all programmes, reduce debt, and streamline taxation (only one tax per person).