A panel of Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed an increase in the departure tax to fund measures to tackle issues related to overtourism.
The number of overseas visitors to the country is surging. This has led to challenges, including congestion and poor behavior by some tourists.
The LDP’s Research Commission for the Establishment of a Tourism Oriented Nation on Thursday drafted a plan to increase the tax, which is officially called the international tourist tax.
Travelers leaving Japan, including Japanese citizens, are currently charged 1,000 yen, or about 6.5 dollars, when they buy airline or boat tickets.
The proposal calls for this to first be hiked to 3,000 yen for all passengers, and 5,000 yen for business and higher class passengers at a later date.
The Japan Tourism Agency says the departure tax brought in more than 52 billion yen, or over 336.9 million dollars, in the fiscal year that ended in March.
It estimates this would quadruple to around 200 billion yen, or roughly 1.29 billion dollars, if the hike is implemented.
The panel also noted the need to consider lowering the commission fees that Japanese citizens are charged when acquiring passports to offset the burden of an increased departure tax.
The LDP’s tax commission is expected to discuss the proposal later this year.
AloJapan.com