Diet passes stopgap bill to extend tax measures until May

Monday 31st March, 03:46 PM JST

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5 Comments

jammer at 08:22 PM JST - 31st March

So just so I have this correct - did I see Mr Fukuda apologizing to the Japanese public for not keeping the tax on gas as high as it is? A politician apologizing for lowering taxes?

Stories of oil shortages are exaggerated. Governments spin these non-truths in times of financial difficulty. The usa is in debt more than it ever has been thanks to the governments war in Iraq. By claiming shortages and increasing the price of oil and taxes they are raking in profits needed to help balance their budgets. Not the first time this has happened. OPEC, and the Federal Reserve, while separated by a Chinese Wall are indeed in cahoots. Like investment banks and their subsidiary stock brokerages - a stated Chinese Wall, yet we see collusion and insider trading charges all the time.
jammer at 08:24 PM JST - 31st March

Didnt mean to to turn this into a usa story: The usa AND JAPAN are both suffering debt troubles, hence their claims of oil shortages and increase prices/taxes.
Sarge at 08:34 PM JST - 31st March

jammer - you did indeed see Fukuda apologize for not keeping that ridiculously high gas tax. I saw it myself. If Fukuda was an American politician, he'd be crowing about it ha ha ha
cleo at 08:48 PM JST - 31st March

They've known for years that the tax would expire tomorrow, yet they end up scrabbling literally at the eleventh hour ..... Incompetent fools.

Quote from PM Fukuda - If the tax rate goes down, that will leave a hole in the government finances ( - and we won't be able to buy any more massage chairs, baseball bats and broken karaoke sets, oh woe)
borscht at 12:41 AM JST - 1st April

"..in a bid to avoid confusion across wide areas of commerce including used car and land sales and financial transactions in the Tokyo offshore market."

Well, if cleo and the rest of the 'wide areas of commerce' knew that these taxes were being eliminated today, extending them until next month will throw some confusion into the party. I can imagine companies planning on the taxes disappearing. "Okay, on April One we lower prices on products A, B, and C. Get the jump on the competition. Make fliers, put in ads, put posters all over the store." Then today, "They WHAT!??" Or, "The union wants a 5% raise. With the taxes disappearing in April, we can handle that. Sign the union agreement." Then today, "They WHAT!?"