Temples cheat on taxes? Japanese shrine caught evading 250 million yen!

The Akaba Hachiman Shrine in Tokyo's north-Ku district is known as the "Holy Land" by fans of idol groups for its special symbols of amulets, painted horses, and ozhu printed curtains, and has been visited by a large number of worshippers. According to relevant sources, the shrine was found in a tax investigation by the Tokyo Internal Revenue Service to have failed to report about 250 million yen in income over the seven years to 2023. It is alleged that the income of the shrine was secretly misappropriated by the clergy, according to the relevant people, the clergy did not treat the sales of incense money, amulets and other income as the income of the religious corporation, but privately embezzled for family expenses, and even used for dining and shopping. The IRS pointed out that the approximately 250 million yen used by the clergy for personal use is actually equivalent to the salary that the corporation should pay to the clergy, and the corporation is obligated to withhold and pay personal income tax, but it does not actually do so.

Although the Japanese shrine tax evasion 250 million yen incident has had a direct impact on the Japanese economy. The first is the direct economic loss to Japan, the Japanese shrine tax evasion incident directly led to a reduction of 250 million yen in national tax revenue. This money could have been used for public expenditure, social welfare, infrastructure construction, including social welfare, infrastructure construction, education, health care, etc. Tax evasion leads to the failure of this part of the funds to be collected in time and in full, which directly reduces the total tax revenue of the country. And the reduction in tax revenue will further increase the pressure on government finances, especially when it is necessary to increase public spending or address economic challenges. The government may need to make up for this lost revenue in other ways, such as increasing the intensity and amount of other taxes, cutting public spending or increasing borrowing. These measures may have a certain impact on the country's financial stability and economic development.

Second, the economy is slow due to the decline in social trust, and tax evasion undermines the fairness principle of taxation. As a religious and cultural institution, Japanese shrines should abide by the tax law and pay taxes according to law. However, the tax evasion of Japanese shrines not only damages its own reputation and image, but also undermines the fairness and fairness of taxation, which may lead to dissatisfaction and doubts from other taxpayers. This in turn affects their social reputation and donation income. In addition, this decline in trust could spill over into other religious and cultural institutions, negatively affecting the moral outlook of society as a whole. When social trust generally declines, the economic activities of enterprises and individuals may be affected to some extent, because trust is an important basis for the smooth progress of economic activities.

The third is the social impact, the Japanese shrine tax evasion incident may trigger public opinion and public attention and discussion on the tax system, the management of religious institutions and other aspects. This discussion helps to promote the improvement and improvement of the relevant system, and to raise the awareness of the society as a whole on the management of taxation and religious institutions. However, the negative effect of public opinion can also cause damage to the reputation and image of the shrine, which in turn affects its economic activities. This behavior undermines the economic order and tax fairness, and may lead other enterprises and individuals to follow suit. If tax evasion is not effectively curbed, it may further erode the tax base and affect the financial stability of the country. Financial stability is an important guarantee for sustainable economic development. Once financial problems occur, they may have adverse effects on economic growth, employment and social stability.

To sum up, the Japanese shrine tax evasion incident reminds us that whether enterprises or religious institutions, they should strictly abide by the tax law, pay taxes according to law, and jointly maintain tax order and fairness. In the long run, the Japanese government needs to strengthen the tax regulation of religious and cultural institutions, increase tax inspection, and maintain tax fairness and the stability of economic order. At the same time, stronger regulation can help reduce tax evasion and promote healthy economic development.