Kanagawa Adopts Water Conservation Tax Ordinance

The Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly passed on October 5, 2005 an ordinance to impose an additional residence tax to be used exclusively for promoting water-source protection projects aimed at conserving and restoring forests and rivers. The new tax system will be introduced starting in April 2007 and continue for a five-year period.

Because the conservation and restoration of the water source environments need to be undertaken over the long-term, continuous and stable measures are required. Kanagawa decided to introduce the new tax system in order to secure a stable source of revenue apart from unstable general revenues, which tend to reflect business cycles.

To ensure that revenue from the new tax is used exclusively for the conservation and restoration of the water source environments, a special account and a fund will be created. Donations from both businesses and individuals will also be accepted into the fund. The prefecture will hold optional meetings to explain the tax system and hear the opinions of people in its local communities.



Posted: 2006/02/08 02:28:38 PM
Japanese version