Social security reform

消費税増分はVAT（付加価値税value added tax）としたほうが良いかも。
欧米はVATだし、タイでさえVATです。ちなみにタイの現時点のVATは７％です。
しかしながら消費税を増額する前に、霞ヶ関の特別会計に是非メスを入れてもらいたい。
朝日新聞でもこの問題はタブーになっているのでしょう。
あるいは暗闇の中に閉ざされていてよくその実体が見えないとか。
そうであるならば、新聞社には記者魂を発揮してこのエリアに切り込むことが強く望まれる。
記者の命の保証ができないというのも多分理由でしょう。
特別会計予算には各分野とも相当な余剰金が含まれているようです。
米国国債を無理やり引き受けさせられていますが、毎月３兆円弱のお金が使われています。
一年では３０兆円、一億の国民が赤ちゃんからお年よりまでひっくるめて一人当り３０万円負担している計算になります。
米国国債の買い入れは一例で氷山の一角。
消費税を増税しなくともやっていけるだけの体力はまだ残っている！
（スラチャイ記）

2011/02/26
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 25
EDITORIAL: Social security reform
社会保障と税の改革―財源なくして安心なし

A government council is now intensively debating the integrated tax and social security reform proposed by the administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The Kan administration intends to announce a plan for revamping the social security system in April and then draft a blueprint for the integrated reform incorporating tax increases to finance the social security overhaul.
　政府の「集中検討会議」が、社会保障と税の一体改革を議論している。４月中に社会保障改革案を示し、６月にはその財源を賄うための増税策との一体改革案をまとめる。

Reform of the nation's tax and fiscal regime and the social safety net was the underlying theme of the series of editorials we published from October 2007 to April 2008 on proposals to make Japan a more hopeful society.
　朝日新聞が２００７年１０月から０８年４月にかけて連載したシリーズ社説「希望社会への提言」でも、税・財政と社会保障の改革は根幹だった。

Immediately after the series of editorials, U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, pushing the world into synchronized recession. The global economic crisis revived deflation--continuous declines in prices and wages--in Japan.
　この連載の直後、リーマン・ショックと同時不況が世界を襲った。日本では物価や賃金が下がり続けるデフレがぶり返した。

A vision for rehabilitation
■財政再建へ展望ひらけ

A power transfer took place in the United States and then in Japan.
　米国に続き日本でも政権交代が起きた。

With the nation heading into a future of unprecedented demographic situation due to the aging of the population and low fertility rate, repairing the frayed social security system and mapping out a feasible plan for restoring fiscal sanity is the principal challenge facing policymakers.
だが、未曽有の少子高齢社会に向かういま、社会保障のほころびを繕い、財政再建の道筋をつけることが政治の歴史的使命であることに変わりはない。

The further deterioration of the nation's fiscal health due to stimulus measures taken in response to the economic crisis has increased the urgency for a radical reform of the tax code centering on a consumption tax hike. Such a tax overhaul is an indispensable prerequisite for social security stability.
危機対策などで一段と悪化した財政をみれば、消費増税を柱とする税制の抜本改革は待ったなしだ。それなしに社会保障の安定は望めない。

We would like to add some fresh proposals to the arguments we made in the series of editorials for a hopeful society.
　私たちもいま、「希望社会への提言」を踏まえて追加的な検討を加えつつ、提案をしていきたい。

As for reform of the state pension program, it should be based on the current social insurance formula. That would be more realistic than the fully tax-financed system for basic portions, which is proposed by business organizations and Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation), the nation's largest labor organization.
　まず、年金については、いまの社会保険方式を土台に改革を進める。そのほうが、経済団体や連合などが提言している基礎年金をすべて税で賄う「税方式」より現実的だろう。

The precious new revenue from tax hikes in the coming years will have to be used mainly to finance programs in such areas as health and nursing-care and child-care support.
　今後の増税による貴重な税収は、医療と介護、子育てなどの分野に優先して振り向ける必要があるからだ。

Between fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2025, the total amount of health-care and nursing-care benefits will grow by 70 percent and 160 percent, respectively, compared with a 40-percent increase in pension payouts, according to estimates by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
　厚生労働省による社会保障給付の見通しでは０６年度から２５年度にかけ、年金の伸びは１．４倍だが、医療は１．７倍、介護は２．６倍に伸びる。

In addition to tackling the problems of the shortages of doctors and special elderly nursing homes, the government needs to expand its policy support for families rearing children and people struggling to become financially independent.
医師不足や特別養護老人ホームの入居待ちの緩和だけでなく、子育て支援、自立支援などの強化も必要である。

Securing a balance between generations
■世代間のバランス保て

But it is important to ensure financial stability of the pension program. The government has raised the ratio of state financing of the program's basic portions to half, but the step is partly paid for with surpluses and reserves in special budget accounts known as "maizokin" (buried gold) under a stopgap-funding program. The priority should be on securing a stable tax revenue source for the partial state funding of the pension program.
　ただし、年金の安定を図ることは大切だ。基礎年金の国庫負担を２分の１に引き上げたが、埋蔵金でとりあえず穴埋めしている部分がある。税でしっかりと手当てするのが最優先だ。

To reduce the number of people who fail to pay into the "kokumin nenkin" national pension program, the "kosei nenkin" plan for corporate employees should be expanded to cover nonregular workers like part-timers and temporary workers. Efforts to collect premiums for the national pension from the remaining nonpayers should be redoubled.
　国民年金の未納者は、厚生年金の傘を広げ、パートや派遣で働く人を加えることで数を減らす。

But at the same time, steps should be taken to make certain that all low-income earners will be exempted from premium payments or benefit from premium cuts.
残る人たちには徴収を徹底するが、低所得者は保険料の免除や軽減をもれなく受けられるようにする。

The national identification number system the government is considering is essential for providing welfare services better tailored to the needs of the people. The proposed integration of the kokumin and kosei nenkin programs should be promoted as the effectiveness of the ID number system for efforts to track the income of self-employed workers is ascertained.
　政府が導入を検討している共通番号は、きめ細かな福祉に不可欠だ。国民年金と厚生年金の一元化は、共通番号が自営業者の所得把握に効果を発揮することを見極めつつ進めたい。

Companies should be required in principle to have all employees enrolled in the kosei nenkin program and contribute to the system. It is part of a company's social responsibility to pay its fair share of the cost of social welfare for its employees.
　企業は人を雇ったら原則として厚生年金に加入させ、保険料を負担する。被雇用者のために応分の負担をするのは社会的な責任である。それを果たせる企業を育てたい。

Economic growth is also crucial for the health of social security. Ensuring the long-term financial stability of the social security system requires effective efforts to develop people and industries to create huge additional value for economic growth. The reality, however, is that pension benefits remain at high levels despite stagnant wage growth and a deflationary trend. This situation is causing pension inequality between generations. Fixing the inequity is imperative.
　経済成長も不可欠だ。高い付加価値を生み出せる人材と産業を育成し、経済を成長させなければ、社会保障の安定は望めない。ところが、現実には賃金が増えず物価も上がらないのに年金は高止まりして、世代間のバランスが崩れている。修正は急務である。

The pension reform in 2004 introduced a system to gradually but automatically lower the levels of pension benefits in response to the aging of the population and the low birth rate. But a provision stipulating that nominal amounts of benefits should be kept unchanged as much as possible has caused the real levels of benefits to rise amid deflation.
　０４年の年金改革では、少子高齢化に対応して年金の水準を少しずつ自動的に削ることにした。だが、「年金の名目額をできる限り下げない」との特例を設けたため、デフレ下で年金の水準は実質的に上がってしまった。

As a result, the financial future of the public pension system is in jeopardy. The levels of pension benefits should be lowered in line with falling prices.
　この結果、年金制度の将来が危うくなっている。デフレに対応して、水準を引き下げる必要がある。

Taking a hard look at the dire state of the nation's public finances and recognizing the need to increase the burden on taxpayers is a prerequisite for meaningful social security reform.
　社会保障を改革する前提は、国の財政悪化の現状を直視し、必要な負担増から目をそむけないことだ。

Our serial editorials proposed that the state budget be divided into two parts.
　シリーズ社説では、国の財政を大きく二つにわけるよう提言した。

One part would finance expenditures crucial for the people's sense of security, such as spending on the health and nursing care, pension and child-care support programs. The additional revenue from future tax hikes would be used mainly to fund these outlays.
　一つは医療・介護・年金や子育てなどの費用を賄う「安心勘定」で、増税分はこちらに集中投入する。

The other part of the budget would finance the rest of government expenditures, including spending on debt servicing. This part should be subject to exhaustive efforts for spending cuts through the elimination of waste. We also predicted that Japanese taxpayers would have to brace themselves for a future consumption tax rate above 10 percent.
もう一つは、借金返済を含む「我慢勘定」で、無駄の削減など徹底した歳出カットを行うとした。そして、いずれ消費税１０％台を覚悟するしかないと見通した。

Virtual cycle of reform and growth
■成長との好循環を

Since the Lehman Shock, Japan's fiscal conditions have deteriorated further. The nation's horrendous fiscal morass is underscored by the fact that on the basis of the original budget, the government's borrowing will surpass its tax receipts for two straight years.
　リーマン・ショック後、財政はさらに悪化し、当初予算で２年連続、借金が税収を上回るという異常事態だ。

The fiscal management strategy announced by the Kan administration in June last year and the fiscal rehabilitation bill drafted by the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party both call for ensuring that all government outlays, excluding debt service expenses, will be fully covered by tax receipts in fiscal 2020.
　菅政権が昨年６月に決めた「財政運営戦略」と自民党の「財政健全化責任法案」は、「２０年度には、借金の返済・利払いを除いた経費を税収で賄えるようにする」という目標で一致する。

But there will be a gargantuan revenue shortfall of nearly 26 trillion yen (about $317 billion) in fiscal 2020 unless nothing is done. That would be equivalent of the revenue from a 9-percent consumption tax.
　だが、今のままだと国の税収は２０年度に２６兆円近くも不足する。消費税率換算で９％分だ。

Filling the budget hole with a tax hike, however, would only amount to this. The cost of the government's services provided in that year would be covered by its tax take in the same year without any fresh borrowing that would increase the burden on future generations.
　それを増税で埋めても、やっと「その年に使ったサービスの費用を同じ年の税収で賄い、将来にツケを回さない」ことになるだけだ。

Welfare states in Europe have been using their revenues from value-added taxes to finance their social security payouts. This approach has won the trust of European taxpayers by convincing them that they will receive benefits in return for the increased burden. In contrast, Japan has been expanding social security benefits without securing sufficient revenue sources to finance them. It is time to fundamentally change this approach.
　欧州の福祉国家は、付加価値税（消費税）の税収を社会保障に回し、「負担が増えても受益がある」という信頼を得た。日本は財源の手当てが不十分なまま、サービスの充実を先行させてきた。それを根本から改めるときだ。

Much of the fresh money to be raised through a tax increase will have to be used to reduce the government debt. This is necessary for paying for the debt-financed services provided in the past.
　過去に借金で賄ったサービス分を埋める意味でも、増税の相当部分を赤字削減に回さざるをえないだろう。

The government also needs to make cool-headed efforts to eliminate overlapping services and review the level of benefits.
　サービスの重複を解消し、給付水準を見直す。その作業も冷静に進めていかねばならない。

The new money to spend on social security will come from economic growth. On the other hand, health, nursing and child-care services are a crucial part of the social infrastructure for economic growth. It is important to create a virtuous cycle of social security reform and economic growth.
　社会保障に使う財源は、経済成長から生まれる。医療・介護・保育のようなサービスは成長のための社会基盤でもある。社会保障と成長の好循環をつくりだしたい。

Laying down a grand vision for the future of social security and taking the first step toward securing revenue sources to finance the system is absolutely vital for rescuing Japan from the trap of stifling stagnation.
　大きな将来図を描き、財源確保へ第一歩を踏み出す。そうしなければ、日本の閉塞（へいそく）状況は打開できない。