ニュース 2009/01/08 House of Representatives Budget Committee: Acting President Kan Questions Presenter of Opposition Parties' Bill to Amend the Second Supplementary Budget On the afternoon of January 8, DPJ Acting President Naoto Kan rose to ask questions at the House of Representatives Budget Committee, pressing Prime Minister Taro Aso on his constantly changing remarks over the fixed amount payment scheduled to be made to all households. He also called on the Prime Minister to eliminate 2 trillion yen required to fund the payments from the supplementary budget and use the savings effectively under the fiscal 2009 budget. Kan began by questioning Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Yoichi Masuzoe over amendments to the law on contract workers and the unemployment insurance system, stressing, "Society must be founded on a full and proper safety net". He then called on the lawmaker who submitted the opposition proposals to modify the second supplementary budget to explain those proposals. Goshi Hosono (DPJ presenter of the opposition parties' bill) said that he "could not support fixed amount payments" because the reasons for introducing the payment had not been made clear. He explained that there were system of tax exemptions with attached payments outlined in the DPJ's tax reform measures represent a completely different system to the fixed amount payments proposed by the government. Lawmakers Tomoko Abe of the Social Democratic Party and Masaaki Itokawa of the People's New Party also drew attention to problems with the government's proposals, noting that their policies are mistaken. Kan then asked the Prime Minister whether he would accept a fixed amount payment were the payment to be made. The Prime Minister replied that he had yet to make a decision, reversing his earlier statement that it would be unseemly for high income individuals to accept the payment. Kan said that the Prime Minister would not appear persuasive to voters as he was unable to show leadership on the issue. Kan also referred to statements made by local authorities that if they were going to receive money from central government it should also have been left up to them how the money would be spent. Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Kunio Hatoyama responded that the new 2 trillion yen was designed to reverse the downward economic trends and, under the system in place, could not be diverted for other purposes. Kan criticized that response saying that if the government was dictating what funds could be used for and refused to provide the funds if they would not be spent for the stated purpose, then there was no devolution of power to local authorities. Kan went on to say that if local authorities were only allowed to use the money as dictated by the government, then the system of fixed amount payment should be abandoned altogether. He argued that the 2 trillion yen could be used more effectively by making provisions in the fiscal 2009 budget for generating employment, securing personnel to work as caregivers and improving the seismic resistance of school buildings. Prime Minister Aso avoided giving a straight answer saying that Kan was making an individual proposal that differed from the opposition's proposed amendment to the budget and the issue of whether or not local authorities should accept the funds is separate from the issue of the budget itself. Kan then called for full debate in the Diet on Article 20 of the Constitution (Freedom of Religion) with regard to the recent agreement of the Cabinet on a formal written response. He also asked about the proposed reduction in expressway tolls, noting that the proposed reduction appeared to be designed for the purpose of promoting the automatic tollgate system called ETC and an increase in the number of cars using automatic tollgates would result in more money flowing to organizations controlled by former bureaucrats. He added that if there was a delay in passing the budget, then it would be the responsibility of the Prime Minister, who has refused to show decisiveness and withdraw the fixed amount payment proposal, and also the responsibility of New Komeito who are making excessive demands in order to protect their own party's interests.