Today we bring a small tips that will be helpful for those who are going to stay in Japan on the night of 31st March 2014 and who have a night out plan for the evening.
From 1st April, we will have a big(probably) change in Japan. Consumption Tax will be increased by 3% to 8%. Consumption Tax increase is the first time in Japan since 1997.
As you can imagine, we have many types of services provided until late night after midnight or even round the clock. We wonder how service providers will manage to handle the tax change around mid-night on 31st March?!
The answers are different company by company. Here are some examples.
* Convenience store chains
Most of major convenience store chains are ready to organize the cash register program to apply appropriate tax %(5% or 8%) from appropriate timing(1st April). It means that tax % will be applied depending on the time when the first purchasing product is "scanned".
* Train
In central part of Tokyo and other major cities, public commute trains and subways run even after midnight. Their tariff will be replaced for the new tax rate once after the service was finished for 31st March. The new rate with 8% tax rate will be applied from morning on 1st April.
* Izakaya, Karaoke studio where they open until late night
Many will take the same way with train operators. The older price will be applied until their service ended on the night of 31st March (though it is more precisely on 1st April), while 8% tax will be charged from service started on 1st April.
* 24H service restaurants etc
Some family restaurants who provide round-the-clock service will exceptionally close their units once before midnight in order to set up new menu card with new tax rate. Others will once close at least the cash register after they make sure that all transactions made before 1st April are settled down.
Some fastfood restaurants each set up the timing to change the tax rate by own decision. For example, McDonald will change the prices from 5a.m. on 1st April.
It might be amazing to experience the moment to change the tax rate?!
Just remind you that Japan government plans to increase consumption tax rate again from 8% to 10% on October 2015 18 months after the next raise.
