Ruling and opposition parties agree to scrap provisional gas tax by year-end
The agreement was reached at a meeting of parliamentary affairs chiefs of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), its coalition partner Komeito, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, as well as Nippon Ishin no Kai, the Democratic Party for the People and the Japanese Communist Party in the opposition bloc.
The parties aim to enact a bill to scrap the provisional gas tax at an extraordinary session of parliament expected to be convened in autumn.
Based on the agreement, the ruling and opposition parties will set up a related forum of dialogue among their working-level officials during a separate extraordinary Diet, or parliament, session set to start Friday. The parties will continue talks after the end of the session, focusing on issues such as finding an alternative source of revenue.
After Wednesday's meeting, LDP Diet affairs chief Tetsushi Sakamoto told reporters that the parties hope to discuss and enact the legislation to scrap the add-on tax at the extra parliamentary session that is likely to be convened in autumn.
"The will of the people was clearly shown" in the July 20 election for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament, Sakamoto said, adding, "We'll formulate policies according to the will of the people."
Following the six-party agreement, the steering committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, decided at a meeting of senior members that the extra parliamentary session starting Friday will run for five days until Tuesday next week.
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