The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) has released an outline of its election promises for the upcoming House of Representatives election, revealing that it will not pledge to lower the consumption tax rate. This is a departure from previous national elections where the party had promised a tax cut. Instead, the CDPJ is now proposing the introduction of a refundable tax credit system for low-income earners.
The change in stance reflects party leader Yoshihiko Noda’s pragmatic approach and his aim to shift power in the government. The CDPJ wants to make political reforms a major point of contention in the general election.
In previous elections, such as the 2021 general election and 2022 House of Councillors election, the CDPJ had pledged to temporarily lower the consumption tax rate to 5%. However, Noda expressed caution about this during a recent leadership election and proposed implementing a refundable tax credit system instead.
While it is included in their policy platform, the CDPJ did not mention their goal to completely abolish nuclear power plants in their election pledges this time. Instead, they stated that they do not support new nuclear plant construction or restarting suspended reactors without local residents’ consent.
The party’s pledges also include careful examination of budgets and opposition against implementing tax hikes for defense spending. They maintain their stance against relocating U.S. Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture.
In addition to these points, other pillars of their election pledges include demanding political reforms such as prohibiting political donations by companies and organizations, abolishing political activity funds, and providing free school lunches for public elementary and junior high schools.
these outlined promises reflect the CDPJ’s focus on political reform as well as Noda’s pragmatic approach towards achieving a power shift within Japan’s government.