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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Conservatives raise taxes by 60% in Japan



 A Double Screw Job
  • Japanese political parties on both the right and the left agreed to screw the taxpayers with a massive tax increase.
  • Japan's value-added tax has gone from 3% in 1997 to 5% to 8% and next to 10%.


What is a "Conservative"?  -  That is the eternal question the world over as so-called "Conservative" parties vote for endless new big government spending and taxes.

From Tuesday, sales taxes in Japan will increase from 5% to 8%. It will rise again, to 10%, in October 2015.

Back in June, 2012 then Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's leftist Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) agreed with the main conservative opposition parties to raise the sales tax from 5% to 8% in April 2014, and to 10% in October 2015 reported the Economist.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would continue to take "necessary action" to address livelihood issues and keep Japan's economy on track.

The stepped tax increases are aimed at covering rising social welfare costs linked to Japan's ageing population.

The last hike in 1997 saw Japan's consumption tax - the equivalent of VAT (value-added tax) or sales tax - rise to 5% from 3% reports BBC News.

Almost immediately afterwards, Japan plunged into a deep recession with a lasting impact: the country has struggled to escape the trap of deflation, or decreasing prices, almost yearly every since.

'Widely Unpopular '

A tax increase has been discussed in Japan for several years, but it has always been perceived as highly unpopular with the electorate.

The current rise is expected to present a challenge to Mr Abe's aim of forcing Japan's economy out of deflation and serial recession.

Separate data on Tuesday indicated that those concerns are shared by the business community.

The results of the Tankan survey, which polls more than 10,500 Japanese companies about their business outlook, indicated that Japanese firms were not optimistic about the rest of the year.




Conservative - What's that?
In a 2012 photo a Tokyo voter holds an election campaign leaflet with a picture of Japan's main conservative opposition Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leader and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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In 2012 voters threw out the "leftist" government and elected a "conservative" government.  But both sides had already agreed to screw over the voters and increase taxes.  As usual the voters have no real voice in government.  The Elites decide what is best for us.

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