We've previously covered news about Japan's "hometown tax" (furusato nozei) system, where local governments typically send thank-you gifts—usually local specialties or unique products—to donors.
But this year, Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward is shaking things up by adding complete manga series as a thank-you gift for its "hometown tax" contributions! These full sets come straight from Kodansha. Starting in December, they even rolled out full manga sets like "Dragon Zakura" and "Chihayafuru," both of which have strong ties to Bunkyo Ward. The response has been absolutely massive, with many people exclaiming they're now even more eager to pay their taxes!
Kodansha noted that more and more places in Japan "lack bookstores and libraries, leaving schools as the only place children can access books." So, when Bunkyo Ward's hometown tax gifts were switched to include manga, picture books, and other literature this year, they received an unexpectedly huge surge in donations. Come December, they started adding full sets of classic, popular manga titles to the lineup.
Kodansha has long been headquartered in Bunkyo Ward, which is famously known as Japan's "academic city." Naturally, they're offering the complete series of "Dragon Zakura," a representative work about aiming for the University of Tokyo. And because Bunkyo Ward is considered one of the birthplaces of "competitive karuta," you can also snag the full "Chihayafuru" series. They've also thrown in other popular bestsellers they hope kids will read, preparing six titles in total, including "Investor Z," "Space Brothers," "The Tale of Genji," and "Books Bought with Tax Money"—all works with significant educational value.
Of course, the hometown tax amount varies depending on the number of volumes in each series. But for many, this is a win-win: paying hometown tax is already tax-deductible, and now you get a fantastic gift in return. The availability of full manga sets has definitely boosted many people's willingness to contribute.
It just goes to show how dedicated Japanese local governments are to boosting their local tax revenue! The hometown tax system itself was designed to address resource disparities between urban and rural areas, aiming to revitalize the economies of remote towns. Perhaps this creative approach will make more people feel like their tax contributions are truly giving back.
via： 日本故鄉稅ふるなび官網