"Midium-sized Social Spending with Low Tax Burden -tax payer’s attitude about Japan’s fiscal conundrum-" (in Japanese)

Taxes and social insurance contributions amounted to only 29% of GDP in Japan, the eighth-lowest share in the OECD. The share of social spending allocated to programmes focused on the elderly – pensions, long-term care and health, which rises sharply with age – is more than four-fifths, the second highest in the OECD. Ensuring fiscal sustainability will require measures to boost revenues from their relatively low levels while constraining the growth of spending, particularly that related to population ageing. On the other given that the increase in government expenditures is driven by the rise in social security spending from 12¾ of GDP in 1990 to 26¾ in 2016, social security reform is the priority. This paper analyses tax payers' attitude about low tax, medium-sized social spending and large fiscal deficits by using micro data. It became clear that closing the fiscal gap defies any attempt at a quick and simple solution.