Some responses to Patrick Budmar's Feb. 28 Light Gist column, "Teacher outfoxes board, exposes bid to fleece JETs":
This story sounds exactly like what happened to me during my final year on JET (the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme), except my BOE (board of education) supervisor told me that I needed to pay ¥400,000 ($5,000) in shiken minzei -two years of residential tax — that I didn't owe. Before paying it, thank God I also fact checked my supervisor's numbers and talked to the teachers and principals at my schools to prevent her from screwing me over.
Just like the guy in the article, my supervisor used the "It's a rule, so you must pay" line, even after it was clear to both of us that the BOE had miscalculated the budget and I didn't owe the money.