March 30, 2014
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2014 March 26 - April 1 [POLITICS]
TV stations pay no attention to public objection to sales tax hike |
In NHK’s evening news program aired on March 27, a reporter said excitedly at a mass retailer, “Big-ticket items are selling well!”
The public broadcaster also invited on March 25 an official of the Budget Bureau of the Finance Ministry to its morning information program. The official claimed that the revenues from the sales tax increase will be used for “maintaining and improving the social security system”.
Commercial TV stations are also working as PR spokespersons of the national government. TV Asahi’s news anchor concluded his program (Hodo Station) by stressing that the purpose of the consumption tax hike is to “share the increasing social security burden among the whole population”.
On the contrary, the government has reduced pension and welfare benefits in succession, and plans to impose on the public a heavier burden for medical costs. The amount of sales tax revenues totals 282 trillion yen since it was introduced in 1989, while that of corporate tax revenues has decreased by 255 trillion yen during the same time period. Both the sales tax increase and the corporate tax reduction are in line with the requests from business circles, such as the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).
The NHK Board of Governors’ positions are almost all occupied by “good friends” of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and commercial broadcasters are sponsored by big businesses. This is why Japan’s TV stations are all neglecting to report on problems concerning the tax rise as well as the mounting public opposition to it.
Past related articles:
> Ruling parties forcibly pass through Lower House draft budget relying on revenues from sales tax hike [March 1, 2014]
> JCP Sasaki criticizes gov’t for subsidizing political parties while planning to impose higher sales tax on people [March 1, 2014]
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