Japan Press Weekly

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2011 October 19 - 25 TOP3 [ECONOMY]

Internet viewers support JCP’s call for higher taxes on the wealthy

On October 18, 75.7 % of viewers of an Internet broadcast program expressed their support to an idea to have the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes proposed by Japanese Communist Party Dietmember Kokuta Keiji.

The program, “News Backyard,” was broadcast live through the video streaming website, “Nico Nico Douga”.

Kokuta in the program criticized the government for giving a 11.6 trillion yen tax break to large corporations while calling for financial burdens for post-disaster reconstruction works to be shared by everyone.

“Workers and smaller business owners have to shoulder an additional tax burden of 8.8 trillion yen. This is totally unfair. After all, this is a tax hike on the general public for the sake of keeping the corporate tax cut,” said Kokuta.

The JCP representative showed that cancelation of the corporate tax reduction scheme and the preferential securities tax breaks will create 17 trillion yen in tax revenues over the next 10 years.

The program cited its poll taken on September 13 in which 71.1 % of respondents said that they count on the JCP as the party willing and able to criticize government policies. Kokuta commented on the result by saying, “The Democratic Party of Japan has breached its election promises and returned to Liberal Democratic Party-style policies. This is why the people rely on the JCP to play its role in putting a check to the DPJ-led government.”