2026 POLLS: JCP Chief Says Tax Cut Must Be Paired with Funding Steps

Tokyo, Jan. 25 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Communist Party leader Tomoko Tamura has said that a consumption tax reduction, a proposal in the party's policy pledges for the upcoming general election, should be implemented together with financing measures such as a tax hike on large corporations.

Securing financial resources for a consumption tax cut is a key issue and a focus of the Feb. 8 election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of Japan's parliament, Tamura said in a recent interview.

While arguing that her party's call for lowering the consumption tax to 5 pct across the board would have the best economic impact, she stressed that the election is not a battle between a proposal to cut the consumption tax on food to zero, which is advocated by the ruling bloc and the new opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, and a uniform reduction to 5 pct.

"We must ensure stable tax revenues to pave the way for a consumption tax reduction," the JCP chief argued. "We can carry out the tax cut if we properly tax profits amassed by large shareholders and large corporations."

Japan's consumption tax currently stands at 10 pct, excluding food and some other items for which the tax rate is 8 pct.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]