December 4, 2024

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko on December 3 in her interpellation at the House of Representatives plenary meeting grilled Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru about the Liberal Democratic Party’s slush-fund scandal and his economic policy. She expressed her determination to make all-out efforts together with the people to move the government to meet people’s demands, such as a halt to the Henoko base construction in Okinawa, the abolition of nuclear weapons, and the promotion of gender equality.

Tamura said that last month’s general election results indicated people’s severe verdict on the LDP’s off-the-book money allegations, and urged PM Ishiba to fulfill his responsibility to get to the bottom of the scandal and provide a detailed explanation to the people.

Tamura pointed out that the slush funds were created from money collected from corporations through political fund-raising parties, and demanded that as a fundamental measure to prevent a recurrence, a total ban be imposed on political donations, including the purchase of fundraiser tickets, from corporations and interest organizations.

Tamura noted that PM Ishiba in his policy speech mentioned that while workers’ wages remain stagnant, large corporations have increased dividends paid to their shareholders. She claimed that the responsibility for this situation lies in the successive LDP governments’ economic policies. She introduced the JCP proposal to levy a tax on large corporations’ internal reserves to increase tax revenues and use them to promote wage hikes at small- and mid-sized businesses. She also called for a reform of the distorted tax system.

Regarding the tax system reform, Tamura cited the principle of taxation: tax-exemption for basic living costs, and assessments based on the ability to pay. She said that from the view point of tax-exemption for basic living costs, the regressive consumption tax should be abolished as it is placed on the purchase of everyday foodstuffs and items. She appealed for the need to lower the consumption tax rate without delay amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. Furthermore, she called on PM Ishiba to implement measures requiring large businesses to pay their fair share of taxes based on the ability-to-pay principle.

Talking about the issue of the proposed increase in the current annual taxable income threshold of 1.03 million yen, known as the “1.03 million yen income barrier”, Tamura stressed the need to review the current threshold. In this regard, she referred to an argument that an increase in taxable income will benefit students doing part-time jobs, and said, “It is unacceptable that students have to earn 1.03 million yen from part-time work to cover their academic costs and necessary expenses.” She demanded that college tuition fees be reduced as a first step toward making higher education free of charge.