Japan Parties Agree to Scrap Add-On Gasoline Levy by Year-End

   Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling and opposition parties agreed Wednesday to abolish the provisional add-on gasoline tax rate as early as possible this year.
   The agreement was reached at a meeting of parliamentary affairs chiefs of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner, Komeito, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), the Democratic Party for the People and the Japanese Communist Party in the opposition bloc.
   The parties aim to enact a bill to scrap the add-on tax rate at an extraordinary session of the Diet, Japan's parliament, expected to be convened in autumn.
   Based on the agreement, the ruling and opposition parties will set up a related forum of dialogue among their working-level officials during a separate extraordinary Diet session, set to start Friday. The parties will continue talks after the end of the session, focusing on issues such as finding an alternative source of revenue.
   After Wednesday's meeting, LDP Diet affairs chief Tetsushi Sakamoto told reporters that the parties hope to discuss and enact the legislation to scrap the add-on tax rate at the extra Diet session that is likely to be convened in autumn.

(2025/07/30-15:13)

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