48% of voters support 10% consumption tax.

48% of voters support 10% consumption tax

Yomiuri

Nearly half of the nation's voters back a 10 percent consumption tax rate, as recently mentioned in remarks by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, according to the latest Yomiuri Shimbun opinion poll.

Though 48 percent approve of Kan effectively proposing a tax hike, 44 percent do not.

At a press conference to announce the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's campaign promises Thursday, Kan--who also serves as president of the DPJ--said he wanted to "refer to the Liberal Democratic Party's proposal to raise the rate to 10 percent ."

Meanwhile, 55 percent of those surveyed said they would support …