Free tax money for politicians -- Akahata 'Current' column, October 9

Appallingly, the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Democratic parties last year used government subsidies to political parties to pay for their vehicle taxes.

Every Japanese citizen pays 250 yen to give away about 30 billion yen to political parties as subsidy. No ordinary citizen can use tax revenues to pay taxes.

We know that some LDP members have diverted money their party received as political subsidies to pay for imported cars or pay for their apartments. Using tax money to eat and drink is commonplace among politicians. This is why the government subsidies for political parties are often referred to as "roughly estimated money." The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Post and Telecommunications distributes the political funds for parties after its minister sets the amounts and decides to issue them.

On top of its "five promises", the Democratic Party of Japan calls for the abolition of all government subsidies with strings attached. Indeed, necessary subsidies must not be eliminated, but what the DPJ could do is to promise the abolition of the government subsidies to political parties.

One may say that strings are not attached to government subsidies because politicians can use the money without restriction. True, politicians may be free to use the money, but one must not forget that it violates tax payers' freedom because their money is given to political parties they do not support. The Japanese Communist Party demands that the government subsidies to political parties be abolished because they violate citizens' freedom of thought and belief.

The DPJ proposes eliminating 80 proportional-representation seats on the grounds that tax money must not be wasted any longer. But that way saves only 5.8 billion yen, and worse than all, it destroys the most fundamental principle of democracy, "Listen to minority opinions," an axiom that even elementary school students know. The DPJ deserves to maintain "Democratic" in its name only when it calls for political party subsidies to be abolished. (end)