Monday, March 19, 2007

How should our taxes be spent?

How to spend our taxes is the most important issue in Japan. There is no easy answer to this question. But I have two ideas to efficiently use our taxes. First, health care. By 2015, one in four people will be over 65, which means that Japan will be a gray society. The government should have responsibility to take care the elderly. For example, we are DINKS which stands for double income, no kids. It means that there is no choice but rely on some kind of program the government provide with even if we have deposit money. Tax should be earmarked to support the system in demographic imbalance environment.

Second, financial support. If the couple has children, both of them will not have enough time to take care of them especially in case woman has her own work. Instead, they will have to hire a nanny or enroll the children in a nursery school. Financial burden is one of the obstacles for low birth rate. To remove financial burden, our taxes should be used to support couples. In conclusion, by using our taxes effectively, we can solve two social issues -- health care and low birth rate. As proverb goes, killing two birds with one stone.

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