Documents de travail du Département des Affaires économiques de l'OCDE
Documents de travail du Département des affaires économiques de l’OCDE recouvrant toutes les activités de ce département : conjoncture économique, analyse politique et projections ; politique fiscale, dépenses publiques et fiscalité ; questions structurelles dont le vieillissement, la croissance et la productivité, la migration, l’environnement, le capital humain, le logement, les échanges et les investissements, les marchés de l’emploi, la réforme réglementaire, la concurrence, la santé et d’autres thèmes.
- ISSN: 18151973 (online)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/18151973
Achieving Fiscal Consolidation while Promoting Social Cohesion in Japan
With gross government debt of 226% of GDP, Japan’s fiscal situation is in uncharted territory and puts the economy at risk. Japan needs a detailed and credible fiscal consolidation plan, including specific revenue increases and measures to control spending to restore its fiscal sustainability. The major concern on the spending side are social spending pressures in the context of rapid population ageing, making reforms to contain such spending a priority. Much of the consolidation, though, will have to be on the revenue side, primarily through hikes in the consumption tax rate beyond the 10% now planned for 2017. Fiscal consolidation should be accompanied by measures to promote social cohesion through the tax and benefit system and by breaking down labour market dualism. In particular, an earned income tax credit is a priority to assist the working poor.
Keywords: fiscal policy, healthcare, social security, Japan, Abenomics
JEL:
H2: Public Economics / Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue;
H6: Public Economics / National Budget, Deficit, and Debt;
H5: Public Economics / National Government Expenditures and Related Policies
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