Implementing Public Interest Tax System. Tax system revision 2010.
(Lowering the applicable minimum on donation from 5,000JPY to 2,000JPY to qualify for tax deduction )
The “culture of donation” in Japan can develop from government planning such as the tax system”!
Some people may question “Why talk about donation in such time of declining economy?” “Because we are in such time of crisis, we need to highlight those NPOs which devote their works to those who are suffering”, Hiroe Makiyama answers. There is one obstacle for NPOs. Namely, the “Tax deduction issue” for donation. Under the Japanese tax system, donation minimum to qualify for tax deduction was 5,000JPY when filing an income tax return. In Japan, the number of authorized NPOs which qualify for donation tax deduction is merely 122 (as of March 2010).
As a leading country of donation culture, United States has no minimum to qualify for donation tax deduction. Thus even a penny would qualify. In the U.S., the number of authorized NPOs which qualify for tax deduction amounts to over 1.13 million.
If the public interest is sufficiently high, taking for example the need for inheriting traditional culture, such an organization may be authorized for tax deduction. This can be seen in the example of the New York Opera, where its membership fee qualifies for tax deduction. I have been proposing that likewise in Japan, Sumo, Kabuki, and sports should be taken into account.
Finally, this proposal by Hiroe Makiyama was included in the “Public Interest Tax System” under Tax System Outline 2010 after the political power shift from LDP to DPJ.
With the lowering of applicable minimum to 2000 yen, I am more than hoping that donation to public organizations will increase and consequently help activate civic action.
I will continue to make effort to increase authorized NPOs of high public interest which qualify for tax deduction.
Save our Health Care System from declining!
2010 Revision of Medical Service Fee
(Specific Departments: Department of Obstetrics, Department of Pediatrics, Emergency Department)
Hiroe Makiyama would like to regenerate our collapsing Health Care System. In order to do so, Makiyama has continued to stress that income of doctors belonging to departments under scarcity should be raised as a short term goal and that improvement should be made on the education of doctors and the regional disparities of presence of doctors as mid to long term goals.
In the Finance and Monetary Committee, Makiyama presented one idea --- that is to offer tax benefits to doctors belonging to departments under scarcity. When we were an opposing party, this idea had been ignored. However, after the power shift to DPJ, this was actualized by way of 2010 Revision of Medical Service Fee.
One thing is to start from what is actually possible to do. Hiroe Makiyama’s challenges continue.
Protecting Household Budget from Increasing cost of Imported Flour
Actualized in April 2009
(Cost of Imported Flour controlled by the government is decreased by 20%)
“Cup Noodles are 400 yen.” When Prime Minister Aso replied to Makiyama’s question, every mass media aired this response. The main purpose of the question was to inquire “whether the government could decrease the cost of flour which the government controls. “ She asked this because if this could be actualized, it would certainly affect the lives of people.
