AFP, Tokyo :
Japan is bracing for its first sales tax rise in years, with last minute shoppers buying up a host of goods from gold to ice cream, as the government tries to tackle its crushing national debt.
Millions of shoppers are making a mad dash to stores ahead of Tuesday’s tax rise to 8.0 percent from the current 5.0 percent amid fears the increase could spark the return of a protracted economic slump.
The last time Japan brought in a higher levy in 1997, it was followed by years of deflation and tepid economic growth.
The upcoming hike has created a tricky balancing act for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he tries to nudge the world’s number-three economy out of the cycle of falling prices and lacklustre growth with a growth blitz dubbed Abenomics.
On Friday, fresh data showed Japanese consumer prices rose again in February, suggesting Tokyo’s efforts to slay 15 years of deflation was gathering steam.
