The TV Tax Man Cometh In Japan

Above, a television set in a Sendai ryokan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We Americans gripe (with good reason) about the taxation policies of the federal, state and local governments. There is one tax that hasn't made its way to our shores (maybe I should post this as it might give some greedy politician some ideas): the TV tax.

According to RocketNews24:

Paying taxes works a little differently in Japan. Often, large companies will simply deduct the required income tax from employees’ paychecks, and even file the necessary paperwork for them. On the other hand, workers have their earnings taxed twice, with residency taxes which are based on their income from the previous year and must be paid quarterly. Like most things in Japan, resident taxes can be paid with a fat wad of cash at the convenience store. 

But perhaps the weirdest of all are government fees for public television in Japan. Not only do the bill collectors go door to door soliciting payment, but some administrators are looking to make people pay the fees whether they own a TV or not.

If somebody decided to tax people for public television in the U.S., you can be sure that all hell would break out.

To read more, go here.