Tourists don’t need another reason to stay in Japan forever, but the country’s government is giving it to them anyway in the form of a departure tax.
Japan’s leaders have agreed to launch an ever-so-politely-named ‘goodbye tax’ of around 1,000yen (AU$12) to tourists who leave the country either via plane, land or sea, The Strait Times reported.
Ah well, guess we’ll just have to stay in Japan forever and keep experiencing that creative culture, those sparkling cities, traditional tendencies and holistic hospitality.
Passed by government officials last week, the fee will come into effect from 7 January 2019 and be in place to raise billions for the country’s economy during the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Local and international visitors over the age of two will be required to pay the ‘goodbye tax’ as it will be added to the price of their transportation ticket. People exempt from the new tax are those under two years old and people visiting for less than 24 hours.
During the first three months of its launch, officials estimate the tax will raise around six million yen, a figure they believe will increase to 40 million by the end of 2019.
Revenue from the tax will be split, with parts of it allocated to installing face recognition technology at all airport gates.
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