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Meeting of the Government and the Ruling Parties
on the Handling of the Road-related Bill and Other Issues
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At the meeting, the handling of the road-related bill and the taxation system was agreed upon, based on the premise of enacting the bill on the taxation system and related bills for FY2008 at the earliest possible date, so as to avoid confusion in the regional finances and to the lives of the people. Prime Minister Fukuda said, "The Government and the ruling parties have responsibility for the lives of the people and the overall economy of Japan. We need to conduct responsible politics for the people by boldly reviewing what needs to be reviewed, while keeping that which needs be kept. I expect the ruling parties to hold discussions with the opposition parties based on the policies decided today, aiming to abolish the system of earmarking revenue sources for roads and reallocate these tax revenues to be used for general purposes. Still, it is regrettable that the bill on the taxation system was not enacted by the end of the last fiscal year, which is an unprecedented situation. So I ask you to do your best to enact the bill on the taxation system and related bills for FY 2008 at the earliest juncture so as to not allow any confusion to affect the regional finances and the lives of the people." |