Japan: Anti-tax campaign launched by the Brewers Association of Japan

The Brewers Association of Japan held an event in Tokyo on Thursday, October 20, to campaign for cutting Japanese liquor tax that is far higher than in foreign countries, Kyodo News has communicated..

Film director Kazuyuki Izutsu, named leader of the campaign at the event, called for reducing liquor tax and opposing a government move to raise the tax on a beer-like alcoholic beverage that has grown popular due to its lower prices that include tax.

The campaign leader also invited event participants to sign a request urging the government to lower liquor tax.

The association of five Japanese brewers, including Kirin Brewery Co., complained that liquor tax in Japan is some 20 times as high as in Germany and some 10 times as high as in the United States.

It also noted that liquor and consumption taxes account for nearly 50 percent of the price of a beer in Japan.

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