Yoshihisa Furukawa, a former justice minister and a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, said on the 6th that a consumption tax cut may undermine the financial base of Japan's social security system, telling reporters that measures against rising prices are needed but the funding base must not be broken.
Furukawa was speaking about LDP lawmakers who left the chamber before a vote on the consumption tax reduction bill. The bill, a priority for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, passed the House of Representatives despite the departures.
Among those who walked out before the vote were Yuko Obuchi and Shigeru Ishiba, according to Nikkan Sports. LDP lawmaker Kobayashi said the departures by Ishiba and others were deeply regrettable.
The consumption tax is a broad levy on goods and services, and its revenue is a core source of funding for pensions, health care and elderly care. Cutting it would leave a gap that the government would have to fill from elsewhere.