Imagine a tax that people just love to pay.
´³²¹±è²¹²Ô¡¯²õ?furusato n¨zei, or hometown tax, is just that. Indeed, it could be the world¡¯s most popular levy, one that people rush to file every year. There¡¯s a simple reason, and it¡¯s far from altruistic: It allows residents to redirect a portion of what they would normally pay to their local government to another municipality elsewhere in the country, usually in return for a ¡°gift.¡±
These can include wagyu beef, fancy fruit or sake. In effect, you front-load a portion of next year¡¯s taxes and get about a third of that amount back in produce. Since the money has to be paid anyway, there¡¯s little sense not to participate ¡ª and despite the ¡°hometown¡± name, you don¡¯t need any connection to the town or village you chose.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.