A ¥13.9 trillion ($91 billion) supplementary budget that includes an economic stimulus package cleared the Lower House on Thursday, following a last-minute deal between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition and opposition Democratic Party for the People (DPP) on raising the tax-free annual income threshold and abolishing a portion of the gasoline tax.
Wednesday’s tripartisan agreement is seen as a political victory for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s minority government to work with the DPP in a “partial coalition.”
But it also demonstrates how the LDP-Komeito bloc, lacking a majority in the Lower House, is forced to negotiate with the opposition over all legislative proposals, including the budget.
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