(Update) Japan's Ishiba Backs Cash Handout over Tax Cut

   Calgary, Canada, June 17 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed Tuesday that a cash handout is more effective than a tax cut in addressing the rising cost of living.
   The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Ishiba, plans to provide all citizens with 20,000 yen in cash benefits as part of its campaign promises for this summer's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.
   "A consumption tax cut would take too much time," he told a press conference in Calgary after the end of a two-day Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, a mountain resort near Calgary. "A cash handout is far more effective as a measure to help people struggling with the rising prices."
   The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and others have proposed a consumption tax cut in their Upper House campaign pledges.
   Consumption tax is a "valuable financial resource for social security," Ishiba stated. "We should be very cautious about cutting taxes."

(2025/06/18-13:24)

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