Extra Benefits for Child-Rearing Households Eyed in Japan

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)--A plan to provide additional benefits for households with children under a proposed refundable tax credit system was presented at a meeting of a bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers on Wednesday.

At a working-level meeting of the National Council on Social Security, Itsunori Onodera, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's tax chief, presented a draft outline calling for providing benefits, without tax relief, to low- and middle-income workers.

The aim is to increase take-home pay for these workers, who bear a heavy burden of social insurance premiums, by adjusting the amount of benefits according to income.

The focus will be on whether the parties can reach agreement on standard benefit amounts and other details toward compiling an interim report before summer.

"I want each party to deepen discussions further," Onodera told reporters after the meeting.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]