Japan Press Weekly

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2020 May 20 - 26 [POLITICS]

90% of general public in survey call for lowering consumption tax rate

In a survey about the impact on people’s daily lives of the consumption tax hike to 10% last autumn, nearly 90% demanded the lowering of the tax rate, Akahata learned on May 18.

The survey was conducted between February and March by a nationwide organization working to abolish the consumption tax.

According to the survey results, 84.6% said that the sales tax increase to 10% forced them to face heavier burdens and 88.1% called for a decrease in the consumption tax rate.

Furthermore, in the survey, 82.3% answered that since the sales tax was raised to 10%, they have been forced to live frugally. To achieve this, they buy only what is necessary (57.3%); buy the cheapest grocery items (53.1%); decrease the frequency of eating out (51.2%); and cut back on leisure spending (47.2%).

In the free-response section, many respondents in their comments demanded that as a measure to recover from the economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, the consumption tax rate be reduced by half. Other respondents also wrote comments such as these: “The sales tax was introduced under the pretext of improving social welfare services. The government, however, uses the sales tax revenues for military buildups which is unacceptable”; “With the abolition of the consumption tax in the future as the ultimate goal, I demand a tax cut to 5% for now. The government should reform the current regressive taxation system to a progressive one based on the ability-to-pay principle. It should also require large corporations to pay their fair share in corporate taxes and fulfill their social responsibility”; and “The consumption tax with its regressive nature imposes heavy financial burdens on young couples, which runs counter to the nation’s effort to increase the birthrate.”

Past related article:
>Koike on news show demands cuts in sales tax to 5% as anti-corona economic policy [March 15, 2020]