CATDOLL: Controversy resurfaces in Japan's publishing industry: Should taxes on unsound books be reduced?

Starting from April 2017, Japan will increase the consumption tax, and will also introduce a tax reduction to keep some daily necessities at a lower tax rate. The publishing industry will also be affected - should the so-called "incomplete books" be excluded from the scope of tax reduction?

Last year, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the tax rate arrangement for "unhealthy books" should be left to the publishing industry to decide. If the government decides, it may hinder freedom of expression. Although the publishing industry holds the leading power, it also tends to exclude adult comics. Not reducing taxes may not be a big problem for readers, but the concern is whether publishers will start to regulate themselves in the future to meet the conditions for tax reduction.

Unhealthy books: "Brünnhilde in the Darkness" (volume 3 was listed as a harmful book by Nagasaki Prefecture)

Currently, the publishing industry hopes to apply the reduced tax rate to all publications, but in order to gain the understanding of the public, it may take the initiative to keep restricted comics at the standard tax rate. Although the government and local governments can designate books containing excessive sexual or violent descriptions as harmful books (called unhealthy books by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government) in accordance with the Youth Protection and Development Ordinance, the designated books must be displayed in the adult area and prohibited from being sold to minors. However, the distinction between works that should or should not be taxed is left to the publishing industry to decide. Therefore, how to unify the definition of pornographic comics is also a big problem for the publishing industry.

Unhealthy books: "To Love-Ru Darkness" (episode 9 was listed as a harmful book by Fukushima Prefecture)

The incomplete book "Black Heron Corpse Delivery"

BL comic "Good Things Good Things" (classified as harmful books by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government)

According to the list of imperfect books published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2015, the standards seem to be getting stricter. This has also made many readers worry - will the author's freedom of creation also be interfered with?

via: Otaku News

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