日本將會分段加消費稅

Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:
政府の「社会保障改革に関する集中検討会議」（議長・菅首相）は２日、社会保障改革案を取りまとめた。
　年金、医療、介護、子育て支援の給付拡充策を盛り込み、消費税率を１５年度までに１０％への段階的な引き上げが必要だと明記した。
　改革案では、給付拡充策の実施で、１５年度に必要な追加財源を２・７兆円程度と試算。消費税を「社会保障目的税」とすることを明記し、基礎年金財政や社会保障費の自然増などにも対処するため、消費税１０％で「安定財源を確保する」とした。税制改革の法整備は今年度中に実施することも掲げた。
　首相は近く、政府・与党幹部による「コア（中核）メンバー会議」を設置し、１２年度にも３％程度、１５年度までにさらに２％程度引き上げる「２段階増税」案を最終調整する。今月下旬には「社会保障と税の一体改革案」として決定し、野党に協議を呼びかける。
(試譯文)
On the 2nd, the government's "Conference focused on reviewing the social security reform" (chairperson: Prime Minister Gan) made arrangements for the social security reform plan.
The policy to increase pension, medical treatment, nursing, and child-nurturing support was included, and the need to increase consumption tax rate to 10% in phases by the fiscal year 2015 was described clearly.
Based on the reform plan, in order to carry out the expansion, about 2.7 trillion yen additional fiscal resource was necessary for fiscal year 2015 as calculated provisionally. The assumption that consumption tax was regarded as a "Social security special purpose tax" was clearly stated, and it was used to deal with the natural increase etc. in financing the basic pension and the cost of Social Security; "the fiscal resource stability will be ensured" by setting the consumption tax at 10%. It was made known that preparations for tax revision laws would be carried out within the current year.
Recently, the Prime Minister had set up a "Core member conference" of the government and leaders in the ruling party, and finally decided on a "Two-stage tax increase" idea that would increase tax by about 3% in the fiscal year 12, and by further 2% by fiscal year 15. It was regarded as a "Comprehensive tax and social security reform plan", and called for discussion with the opposition party by the end of the month.

To meet social security needs, tax increase in Japan seems unavoidable.