Tag - tax-hike

 
 

TAX HIKE

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2014
Close Abe adviser calls for delay to next tax hike if economy slows
The Abe administration should put off the consumption tax hike scheduled for next year or raise the rate by 1 percentage point per year if the economy stalls, according to a special adviser to the prime minister.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 8, 2014
Japan current account balance back in black
The nation's current account balance was in the black for the first time in two months in July, hitting ¥416.7 billion as the income from foreign investments rose to a record high for the month, outweighing the trade deficit, the government said Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2014
Aso plans new extra budget to cushion sales tax hike to 10%
The Abe administration will compile another extra budget to mitigate the economic impact of the October 29015 tax hike, Finance Minister Taro Aso indicated on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 1, 2014
Auto sales fall to lowest in three years on sales tax hike
Auto sales tumbled to a three-year low last month, the latest sign that consumer spending is slumping following the April 1 consumption tax increase.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 28, 2014
Additional sales tax hike difficult decision for Abe: adviser
Japan's additional consumption tax hike planned for next year is a hard decision for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to make, given a slowdown in the nation's economic recovery, one of his advisers said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 26, 2014
Government retains view on economy but wary of shock from tax hike
The government on Tuesday kept intact its relatively upbeat assessment of the economy in its monthly report for August, but it expressed concern over the aftermath of the consumption tax hike to 8 percent.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 20, 2014
Skepticism over Abe's inflation goal grows as price gauge retreats
Traders are growing more skeptical Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will achieve his 2 percent inflation target after a sales tax increase derailed growth.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 13, 2014
Japan's GDP set to fall sharply; stimulus expectations may surge
Japan's economy likely shrank sharply in the second quarter, which would be bad news for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's growth policies, but it could raise market expectations of further stimulus.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 12, 2014
Energy, food costs pushed Japan's wholesale prices higher in July
Wholesale prices rose 4.3 percent in July from a year earlier largely due to higher energy costs and price increases for some food items, the Bank of Japan said Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 22, 2014
Fiscal '14 growth forecast cut to 1.2%
The government on Tuesday cut its forecast for economic growth in fiscal 2014 to 1.2 percent from 1.4 percent in real terms amid lingering fears that the April 1 consumption tax hike — the first in 17 years — may continue to weigh on domestic demand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2014
Tax hike blurs economic outlook as indicators dip
An index of indicators used to predict future economic conditions fell in May for the fourth straight month May, with the first consumption tax hike in 17 years denting optimism, the government said Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2014
BOJ sanguine on state of regional economies
The Bank of Japan said in a quarterly report Monday that the nation's nine regional economies are still robust despite downward pressure from the April 1 consumption tax hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 12, 2014
Machinery orders drop 9.1% in April after sales tax hike
Core private-sector machinery orders plunged a seasonally adjusted 9.1 percent in April compared with the previous month, with the first consumption tax hike in 17 years blurring the economic outlook, the government said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2014
Failure to up sales tax risks crash of JGBs: Sakakibara
The government should prioritize expanding its recent sales tax increase or risk an eventual collapse of sovereign bonds, former Finance Ministry official Eisuke Sakakibara said.
BUSINESS
Apr 16, 2014
Big biz keen to skirt tax hike
The government has hired around 600 special investigators to prevent big businesses from passing the latest consumption tax increase on to their suppliers and contractors, but many small businesses are facing increasingly subtle billing and payment schemes from clients.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2014
Shoppers start coping with higher sales tax
Tuesday's hike of the consumption tax to 8 percent saw mixed reactions in Tokyo and Osaka. While consumers in both cities seemed resigned to the increase, there was concern about the additional transportation and food costs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2014
Shoppers flock to stores ahead of sales tax hike
Consumers flock to stores to make last-minute purchases of luxury and sundry goods ahead of the first sales tax hike in 17 years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2014
Hidden tax hike surprises await unwary consumers
Tuesday's consumption tax hike will in principle affect all domestic purchases of goods or services, but there are still gray areas where consumers may get surprised by unexpected levies, government officials warn.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2014
Spending logs surprise fall as price pressures rise
Consumers unexpectedly reduce spending two months before the nation's first sales tax hike since 1997 — potential sign that emerging inflationary pressures are undermining purchasing power.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2014
Families with young kids eligible for one-time handouts
The government will give out a special child benefit of ¥10,000 to households nationwide with children aged 15 or younger to help offset the consumption tax hike to 8 percent.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores