Takaichi denies future consumption tax hike
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday (March 17) denied the possibility of raising the consumption tax rate from the current 10 per cent in the future.
"I'm not considering a further consumption tax hike," Takaichi said at a House of Councillors Budget Committee meeting.
Following the planned two-year consumption tax rate cut to zero for food products, the prime minister said, "We'll shift to a refundable tax credit system as we fully understand the necessity of the consumption tax."
Meanwhile, Takaichi stressed that revising the operational guidelines for the country's three principles on the transfer of defence equipment is a key policy step to create a desirable security environment.
"Developing the defence industry and other sectors with dual-use technologies will lead to growth in the Japanese economy," she said.
The prime minister reiterated her opposition to a nuclear weapons sharing scheme, noting that the government will continue to uphold the country's three non-nuclear principles.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
