In recent years, more and more Taiwanese have been traveling to Japan, with many planning short 2–3 day trips for sightseeing and shopping. Following the Japanese government’s announcement of lowering the tax-free shopping threshold for tourists, it now plans to introduce an “outbound tax (departure tax)” of ¥1,000 per person starting January 7 next year.
According to United Daily News, seeing the annual rise in the number of visitors to Japan—for example, 41 million people departed from Japan last year—the government believes that charging an “outbound tax” of ¥1,000 per traveler could generate at least ¥41 billion in annual revenue. Therefore, it has proposed an “International Tourist Tax,” which will apply to all international travelers aged 2 or above as well as Japanese nationals departing from Japan, each required to pay ¥1,000 (approximately NT$266). The revenue will be used to boost tourism, support overseas promotion, or be allocated to agencies other than the Japan Tourism Agency.
Originally, this tax was set to take effect in April 2019, but considering that many frequent Chinese travelers visit Japan during the Lunar New Year in February, the implementation date was moved forward to January 7, 2019. While the tax will be levied on all departures from Japanese airports, children under 2 years old and transit passengers who stay in Japan for less than 24 hours without leaving the airport will be exempt.
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