Japan Considering Lower Capital Gains

As reported at MarketWatch, Japan is considering lowering capital gains and dividend taxes as a way to encourage savers to move funds from lower yielding investments back into the stock market. The plan would cut dividend and capital gains taxes, potentially for up to 10 years. The proposal would temporarily exempt dividend payments of up to 1 million yen ($9,100) from taxes. An earlier plan that was passed in 2003 and cut capital gains by 50% and dividends to 10% is scheduled to expire early next year. It is hoped that the move will help spur the stock market, which has languished for over a decade. Given the level of fear in the U.S. markets, cutting capital gains by 50% and reducing dividend taxes to 10% would certainly give the U.S. markets a nice jolt. Hopefully it will not take over 10 years of poor market returns to see the need and potential benefits of such a cut. Just as the U.S. is considering higher taxes, this is yet another example of how countries around the globe are looking to reduce corporate, capital gains, and dividend taxes. Hopefully we will get the message.