Resorting to a two-thirds majority in the Lower House on Tuesday, the ruling bloc enacted by revote a bill to use revenue from gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas taxes for road-related projects for 10 years from fiscal 2008. The action was taken after the opposition-controlled Upper House had voted it down. Under the bill, the infrastructure minister will work out a 10-year road construction plan.
Before the revote, the Cabinet had endorsed a policy of ending the exclusive allocation of revenue from road-related taxes to road-related projects and thus freeing it up for general-purpose use from fiscal 2009 — Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's proposal.
Enactment of the bill was a contradictory move on the part of the ruling parties and Mr. Fukuda. Their failure to submit a bill consistent with Mr. Fukuda's proposal points to his weak political leadership. A new bill needs to be enacted to remove the contradiction. At any rate, a row with the opposition forces over the road-related taxes appears over since the Democratic Party of Japan opted not to pass a censure motion against Mr. Fukuda in the Upper House. Now the ruling and opposition forces face the task of keeping the Cabinet-endorsed policy alive and starting discussions on how best to use the freed-up tax revenue.
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