The government will consider raising the consumption tax to secure revenues, even though its priority remains the elimination of unnecessary spending, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
"We need to consider it in light of the nation's fiscal situation" and the balance with the comparable taxes of other countries, Fukuda told a news conference when asked about the possibility of raising the tax from the current 5 percent.
"But the Cabinet's priority is on making sure that fiscal discipline is imposed," he said.