Job Discussion Forums

[Gypsy Rose Kim]

Hmmm...

I had two years left on my visa and even longer left on my gaijin card when I left Japan. I never cancelled them, cuz I thought I might be back in a few months.

My former roommate told me sometime after I left that I was still being charged ward tax. I didn't worry about it then. But, now...

I have a new passport and my gainjin card expired in February. Is this going to be enough for me to be lost in the system, or am I going to have to deal with this ward tax issue?

If so, will bringing my old passport with the stamps that I left Japan be enough to prove I was no longer living there? I've been back to visit many times, but short stays. A letter from my former landlord (that ought to be fun to procure)? I've heard they just seize the money from people's bank accounts--is that true? Even before I've had a chance to explain myself?

Two years of back ward tax has the potential to be a serious problem. I did NOT live there, but I guess I was still registered at my old address?

Any ideas? I'd forgotten about this, but now a bit worried...

[Apsara]

You pay ward tax on what you earned the previous year, so the first year after you left you would have been sent tax bills. The next year there wouldn't have been any new tax, but unpaid ward tax incurs fines and they would have continued to send bills with those amounts added in.

It's an interesting question whether they will be able to track you down or not with a new visa and passport. When I came back to Japan after leaving for 6 months I was on the same passport and gaijin card so my new ward would have passed along the information and I soon started to receive bills from my old city office for the unpaid tax.

Unless you are moving back to the same ward however it's possible that they won't make any connection. I'm not sure how much communicating the different tax offices do these days.

[Gypsy Rose Kim]

So the bills must've been for the time I had already lived there? Oh, cr@p. I never thought about that. Just thought, "don't live there anymore, won't pay it!"

I moved in June. Not sure where that lies on the billing cycle. Or if you owe for the whole year even if you only live there half. I just know it used to seem like I was paying A LOT, and I'd be surprised to learn I owe even more.

Oh, well. Wait and see, I guess...

[Apsara]

My ward tax comes to 5 percent of what I earned the year before. Therefore it doesn't really matter how long you worked the year before, they will just charge you a certain percentage of it. I have heard it varies from ward to ward but not sure if this is true or not.

Basically if you are lucky you will be treated like you just arrived here and that tax won't catch up with you. Otherwise there will be some system in place for tracking you down and you will be sent bills. I have heard of people having funds seized from their account but can't verify it.

[bluefrog]

They caught up with me. They seized a year and half's worth of taxes from my account. I moved from the ward and didn't register at the ward office I moved to.
They were able to seize the money because I hadn't changed my bank account since I arrived in Japan several years ago. They got the bank info from my former employer. PM me if you have any questions. I know the system pretty well.