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Japan PM says sales tax to increase in April
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went ahead Tuesday with a much debated sales tax hike needed to offset Japan's soaring public debt, gambling that the country's economic recovery is strong enough to absorb the shock
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rime Minister Shinzo Abe went ahead Tuesday with a much debated sales tax hike needed to offset Japan's soaring public debt, gambling that the country's economic recovery is strong enough to absorb the shock.
The sales tax will rise to 8 percent in April from the current 5 percent, Abe announced at a policy meeting of ruling party and top government officials. The Cabinet also cleared the increase.
Abe promised a 5 trillion yen ($51 billion) package of tax breaks, plus 1 trillion yen ($10 billion) in tax cuts, along with other stimulus measures meant to counter the wallop to consumer demand from the tax hike. He said details would be worked out by December.
Economic stimulus without a tax hike would be unsustainable, and so would raising taxes without economic stimulus, Abe said.
"The only way is to do both," he said. "I seek your understanding."
In opting to press ahead with the tax increase, Abe judged the world's third-largest economy robust enough to withstand that blow. Holding back might have provoked a backlash from international investors worried over Japan's ability to handle its public debt, which is the highest among developed nations as a percentage of GDP. Experts say the tax increase is crucial to getting government finances under control.
The decision comes after a survey showed improved business confidence among Japanese companies.
Results from the Bank of Japan's "tankan" quarterly survey showed large manufacturers were especially upbeat, with a reading of positive 12, up from 4 in the July survey.
The tankan's results contrast, however, with data for August showing higher unemployment and lower factory production and household spending. Industrial output fell 0.7 percent from the previous month after a 3.4 percent jump in July, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Improved hiring and wages are needed to spur a rebound in consumer spending to help underpin a sustained recovery after years of stagnation, economists say.
"A key reason for the weakness in consumer sentiment is presumably the surge in inflation while wage growth remains subdued," Capital Economics said in a commentary that forecast growth would slow in the current quarter.
Abe said the economic package would link job creation and wage increases to tax breaks intended to encourage investment and home buying.
It also would pay subsidies of 10,000 yen-15,000 yen ($100-$150) per person to low income households.
Since taking office late last year, Abe has sought to jolt the economy out of the doldrums with a combination of ultra-easy monetary policy and hefty government spending. He has also promised to promote reforms, such as deregulation of some industries, meant to boost Japan's longer-term competitiveness ' most of which have yet to be enacted.
