How Can I Reduce My Tax Bill In Japan?

Somebody in Japan earning a salary of 3.3 Million JPY would pay approximately 24% in taxes each year (including municipal taxes). A person earning 18 Million JPY is likely to be paying closer to 45% in taxes, meaning that out of 18,000,000 JPY earned they only get to take home 9,900,000 JPY of it.  Seeing as the government does not have its own money, it depends on tax revenue to keep the country running and uses this money to service and maintain the healthcare system, social security and welfare, unemployment and labor, food and agriculture, and transportation systems. Japan has a robust economy and salaries are competitive, but high marginal rates of tax often have people asking the question, “how can I reduce my taxes payable in Japan?”

Income Tax Rates In Japan

If you leave your house and go outside (and don’t live in the sub-Saharan desert) you will invariably be enjoying the spoils of government spending somewhere or other, and as such the tax system, and adherence to its rules, are important to maintain the current social systems in which we all participate and benefit. This withstanding, if you are obligated to pay 100 yen in taxes, and you in fact pay 120 yen, you should be aware that this is a donation and not an obligation. In essence, you should pay what you are obligated to by law, and retain that which you are not for your personal benefit. Paying close attention to the tax system and its laws will enable you to structure your finances so as to be legally compliant of tax law, and also maximise your savings. The following are some common areas overlooked by residents of Japan in their tax planning and will aid in answering the question “How can I reduce my tax bill in Japan?”.

Reducing Japanese Taxes Using Spousal Tax Breaks

Married? The spousal tax deduction cuts the taxable annual income of the household’s main earner by ¥380,000 if the dependent spouse is earning ¥1.03 million or less a year. By reducing their taxable income, the main earner and the household pay less taxes overall. The system was introduced back in 1961, when Japan was in the midst of its postwar modernization drive and undergoing rapid economic growth. Statistics from the internal affairs ministry show that the number of households in which both husband and wife work surged 73 percent to 10.65 million in 2013 from 6.14 million in 1980. In the same period, the number of married single-income households fell 33 percent to 7.45 million, compared with 11.14 million in 1980. Utilise this deduction while you still can as this section of the tax code is under review for reform under the current administration. Who said marriage was costly?

Make Donations To Reduce Taxable Income In Japan

Feeling charitable? Donations made to charity can be offset against your income. The tax office reserves the right to disregard these donations as deductibles so it is advisable to check beforehand to see if your chosen organisation is qualifying or not (hint: Japanese charities are favorable…). Donations to local governments are invariably approved. Donations must be in excess of 5,000 JPY. Sharing is caring.

Invest In Japanese Real Estate To Pay Less In Tax

Now, this is not a tax saving per se but you are able to increase your income without a directly exponential increase in income tax [pending requirements]. Property investments paying you a monthly income will give you money which is then subject to income tax. What the tax code allows you to do is deduct a large number of expenses from this income to reduce your taxable base. The largest of which is depreciation cost (for accounting purposes, real estate assets in Japan lose value each year that you hold them) which can be deducted from your taxable base throughout the ownership term along with maintenance expenses, management expenses, insurances and even the interest payments on the loan (sorry cash buyers). There are certain requirements which must be met before the bank will lend you money, but if you qualify you may receive an increase in passive income and have extra tools to pro-actively manage your taxes.

Commutation Allowances In Japan

Do you travel to work? Congratulations. Your daily movements may have fiscal benefits…

Next, lets consider some of the more surprising ways to reduce your tax bill in Japan…

Entertainment Expenses As A Tax Deductible In Japan

Amounts paid for entertainment and social expenses are, in principle,  treated as salary. If it is clear that  the expenses are used for the business of  the employer, they are not taxable. This does not mean that you can “expense” a trip to a theme park with your family. It does however mean that you can expense a trip to the theme park with your clients, if it is to the express benefit of your company (provided it doesn’t exceed the permitted entertainment allowance).

Bereavement And Disaster

To every cloud a silver lining. Funeral contributions, condolence payments, consolation money for  disasters, etc., are not taxable if they are deemed reasonable according to  commonly accepted norms. Again, this is entirely at the discretion of the tax office. Giving 10 million to your son because his pet rabbit died will probably be looked upon unsympathetically by the tax officer.

Reduce Tax In Japan Using Scholarships and Professional Development Expenses

Scholarships are not taxable. However, the money and items provided as a  scholarship by an employer to an employee who has a child attending  school, or provided by an employer to an employee to help fund the cost of  the employee’s own schooling, are deemed to be salary, other than certain  disbursements for the acquisition of skills needed by the employee to  perform his/her work duties. The take-home point of this being, ensure your employer pays for these things on your behalf so as to mitigate a personal liability.

Using Social Insurance Premiums To Pay Less Taxes

If these are taken directly from your salary you need not do anything. If you pay them yourself then you need to file a deduction application. This includes both the national health insurance and pension schemes. These should be your first go-to tax deductions.

Other Insurance Premiums As Eligible Expenses For Tax Reduction

Life insurance premiums, individual pension premiums and earthquake insurance can all be deducted up to 50,000 JPY per year. Be aware that in 90% of cases the deduction will be denied if the providing insurer is a non-japanese company.

Disability and Widows

Annual deductions start from 270,000 JPY per year and can increase in the case of disability pending the severity of the condition. Widows are flat rate.

Claiming Family Members As Dependents To Reduce Tax

This is potentially a large one. Does anyone depend on you? Moral support excluded, if you support anyone financially you may be eligible for a deduction. General Dependents are deductible at 380,000 JPY and Specific Dependents are deductible at 630,000 JPY. The criterion for each category can vary so call your friendly local tax office for confirmation before filing for the deduction. Essentially, if you ever send money to a family member, this can reduce your taxable base (senior dependents can be deducted up to 380,000 JPY and if they also live with you this increases to 930,000 JPY!).

Housing and Loan Tax Deductions To Reduce Japanese Taxes

If you receive a loan to spruce up your primary residence (your house) you can deduct up to 500,000 JPY. Sadly the tax credit system for housing investment ceased on the  31st December 2013 however there was a new credit rolled out in April 2014. The new deduction applies to buyers who have have been subject to the 8% consumption tax.  The maximum mortgage balance will be increased to 40,000,000 Yen, which means the maximum annual tax deduction will be 400,000 Yen, or 4,000,000 Yen over 10 years. (Also, you should be aware that no consumption tax is payable if you purchase a second-hand property from a private seller. Your tax deduction will be limited to a maximum of 200,000 Yen per year ,based on a maximum mortgage balance of 20 million Yen).

Retirement Income Tax Breaks For People In Japan

Retired? Congratulations- you’ve probably had a long career of working and investing and now are free to enjoy the finer things. Take a tax break…

This list is not exhaustive and all of the above will likely change in the future with each revision of the tax code but this is, currently, the state of play. In being aware and mindful of the different classifications of income and expenditure in your own finances you will be able to achieve a better understanding of how to reduce unnecessary liability.

In summary, there are many deductions and allowances available for you to utilise to reduce your taxes here in Japan. Filing tax returns yourself can require some understanding of technical Japanese. Using a skilled accountant is advisable as their fees are often eclipsed by tax savings and rebates, i.e if every 100 yen spent on your accountant comes with a 120 yen Japanese tax reduction it redefines the nature of the ‘expense’. For personal recommendations or further information about becoming tax-compliant and increasing your savings, wages or benefits head over to our Contact page or contact your Tyton Capital advisor.