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The government has started to consider abolishing the special case of paying 5,000 yen per child per month to high-income households as a child allowance starting next year. There is also a proposal to lower the goal by changing the criteria for determining the annual income of the highest earner in the household to “total couples.” While the aim is to make up for the lack of financial resources to remove children on the waiting list, it has been pointed out that the method of cutting and replacing the budget for parenting support does not comply with the prime minister’s policy. Yoshii Suga, who advocates for improved measures against declining birth rates. (Atsushi Kawada)
◆ Compensate for the lack of financial resources for measures for children on the waiting list
Approximately 1 million people received special benefits that reduce child allowances due to income restrictions in fiscal year 2018, and two-thirds of the total amount of approximately 90 billion yen paid is national expenses. Income restrictions are based on those who have a large income even if they work together as a couple, and an annual income of 9.6 million yen is a guideline for a household of four with a spouse and two children.
The background for considering the payment reduction is the lack of financial resources for measures for children on the waiting list, which the Prime Minister has a strong feeling. The Cabinet Office estimates that in 2012, you will need a new child care tray for about 140,000 people. According to stakeholders, an estimated 1,000 and several tens of billions of yen will be needed to remove children from the waiting list, and a plan has emerged to reduce the child allowance as part of raising financial resources.
◆ Also criticized by the ruling and opposition parties for “competing for the cake”
The “competition for the cake”, which manages financial resources as part of the support measures for raising children, is not in line with the policy of intensifying measures against the decrease in the birth rate, and is being disputed not only by the opposition party but also by the ruling party. Shinichi Eto, the former minister in charge of the PLD’s birth reduction measures, told reporters that if the amount of child allowance is not changed and special benefits are eliminated, “it will be a big problem to question the attitude of the government”. Yuichiro Tamaki, representative of the National Democratic Party, emphasized on Twitter that “the budget for children should not be cut.”
The government plans to reach a conclusion before the December 21 budget compilation. Since many households are affected, we will consider increasing the standard amount of income restrictions and child allowance for households with multiple children, but securing financial resources for measures against children on the waiting list is “very difficult” ( Tetsushi Sakamoto lowers the birth rate) (Minister in charge of countermeasures).
◆ Go against the declining birth rate, raise the fund without cutting the budget
Chuo University Professor Masahiro Yamada’s Story (Family Sociology)If the special case of high-income households is removed, the subsidy that the younger generation should have received will be removed and the second and third children will be stopped. It goes completely against the measures against the decrease in the birth rate. Instead of cutting the budget, we should increase the total.
Child allowanceFor households with children up to junior high school, a system that pays 10,000 to 15,000 yen per person per month, depending on the age of the child. The number of beneficiaries including special benefits was approximately 10 million in fiscal year 2018, and the total payment amount was approximately 2.1 trillion yen. Financial resources are provided by national and local governments and contributions from business owners.
