Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday his government remains committed to a plan to complete the doubling of the consumption tax to 10 percent in October 2019 to help restore the nation's fiscal health.
Abe made the remark on a TV program after reshuffling his Cabinet and key posts in the Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday in a bid to restore his plunging popularity. As usual, he repeated claims that economic revival and fiscal rehabilitation are his government's main mission.
Under the initial plan, the consumption tax was to be raised to 10 percent from the current 8 percent in October 2015, but Abe has already postponed it twice to try to ensure a solid economic recovery. The levy was originally 5 percent when the two-stage tax hike was implemented.