Related News
Japan PM eyes election if tax bills don't pass
Source: Agencies |
January 3, 2012, Tuesday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
JAPANESE Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda wants to call a snap general election if parliament does not approve bills needed for a sales tax increase, the Sankei newspaper reported today.
Japan is saddled with public debt twice the size of its US$5 trillion economy and Noda wants to double the sales tax to 10 percent by October 2015 to help fund its ballooning social welfare programs.
The government plans to submit bills necessary for the tax increase to parliament by March, but passage is uncertain as combative opposition parties can use their control of the upper house to block legislation.
Noda, a fiscal hawk, told a former prime minister last month that he wanted to call a general election if the bills do not pass, the conservative Sankei newspaper reported, citing sources close to Noda.
An election for the powerful lower chamber must be held by late 2013.
After much wrangling, the ruling party's tax panel agreed last week to rise the 5 percent sales tax, among the lowest in developed economies, to 8 percent in April 2014 and then to 10 percent in October 2015.
But Noda faces resistance not only from the public and opposition parties but also from some members of parliament from his fractious Democratic Party, and nine junior lawmakers submitted requests last week to leave the party over the issue.
Noda's support rating had dwindled to 36 percent in a poll released by the Nikkei business daily last month, a 30 point drop since he took office in September.
In the survey, 53 percent said they disapproved of the sales tax increase.
Many politicians are wary of tax increases given the drubbing ruling parties have suffered in past elections when the levy was a focal point. A proposal to raise the sales tax contributed to election losses for the Democrats in 2010.
While Japan faces downgrading threats of its government debt by rating agencies, some economists say the situation is different from that of crisis-struck Europe because Japan can fund its debt domestically with its vast pool of household and corporate savings.
Japan is saddled with public debt twice the size of its US$5 trillion economy and Noda wants to double the sales tax to 10 percent by October 2015 to help fund its ballooning social welfare programs.
The government plans to submit bills necessary for the tax increase to parliament by March, but passage is uncertain as combative opposition parties can use their control of the upper house to block legislation.
Noda, a fiscal hawk, told a former prime minister last month that he wanted to call a general election if the bills do not pass, the conservative Sankei newspaper reported, citing sources close to Noda.
An election for the powerful lower chamber must be held by late 2013.
After much wrangling, the ruling party's tax panel agreed last week to rise the 5 percent sales tax, among the lowest in developed economies, to 8 percent in April 2014 and then to 10 percent in October 2015.
But Noda faces resistance not only from the public and opposition parties but also from some members of parliament from his fractious Democratic Party, and nine junior lawmakers submitted requests last week to leave the party over the issue.
Noda's support rating had dwindled to 36 percent in a poll released by the Nikkei business daily last month, a 30 point drop since he took office in September.
In the survey, 53 percent said they disapproved of the sales tax increase.
Many politicians are wary of tax increases given the drubbing ruling parties have suffered in past elections when the levy was a focal point. A proposal to raise the sales tax contributed to election losses for the Democrats in 2010.
While Japan faces downgrading threats of its government debt by rating agencies, some economists say the situation is different from that of crisis-struck Europe because Japan can fund its debt domestically with its vast pool of household and corporate savings.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
