No need to raise tax to provide better nursing care: Koike

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

No need to raise tax to provide better nursing care: Koike

Tokyo's nine major nursing-care service providers on June 14 held a symposium to discuss ways to improve working conditions and wages of nursing-care workers. Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Koike Akira and other politicians from each political party (DPJ, LDP, Komei, PNP) took part in the symposium as panelists.

Koike spoke in opposition to the ongoing discussion concerning an increase in the consumption tax to secure financial sources for nursing-care services while each party representative spoke of the need to raise the consumption tax.

Koike stated, "A consumption tax hike will deal a heavy blow on senior citizens who need nursing care as well as on nursing care workers. The need now is for the government to return its share of contributions to the nursing-care insurance program to 50 percent."

"We can secure enough resources to redress the nursing-care issue if the government reviews ways used to collect tax revenues as well as ways of using them, namely the generous tax cuts for the wealthy, funds for U.S. military realignment projects, the so-called sympathy budget for U.S. military bases in Japan, and the system of government subsidies to political parties," said Koike.

DPJ Ando Takao said, "It is vital to drastically increase the consumption tax as soon as possible" to secure needed resources and argued for the need to lift the restrictions on the size of care facilities and the number of caretakers.

LDP Nishijima Hidetoshi said, "We have no other option than an increase in the consumption tax as a stable source of funds."

Komei Watanabe Takao said, "We should consider earmarking the consumption tax for a specific purpose by using consumption tax revenues for the nursing-care budget."

- Akahata, June 16, 2010