Filing taxes: hitting the language barrier

Mid-March: I have spent most of the past two days preparing my annual tax declaration. I'm self-employed, and filling the tax forms feels like jogging through a minefield. Fortunately, Japanese tax authorities aren't as malicious as they are where I come from.



Asahi has more: filing a tax return by the deadline is an annual bane, but for many foreigners residing in Japan, it is even more headache-inducing because of the language barrier. Foreign nationals living and working in Japan are required to pay taxes. However, the tax return forms are only available in Japanese. Income tax returns are due by 15 March.

Some experts are concerned that the language barrier may even discourage some foreigners from paying their taxes. On the morning of Feb. 16, the first day of the income tax filing period, taxpayers flocked to the tax filing area set up at the National Tax Agency's Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau in the capital's Chuo Ward. There were taxpayers who appeared to be foreign nationals, glancing around anxiously and consulting with the staff. All the information boards were written only in Japanese. Arbenita Sopaj, 30, was one of the foreigners looking to file her taxes. Sopaj came to Japan from Kosovo in Eastern Europe about five years ago and is working as a university assistant. She said the filing was "little bit difficult," but the Japanese staff there who helped her "was very polite and made sure that I don't have any difficulties."

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When I lived in Tokyo, my ward provided detailed step-by-step guides in English; the neighbouring prefecture where I reside now doesn't. E-tax is also only available in Japanese. And before anyone says I should work on my Japanese:

"Taxation is difficult even for Japanese people," Sato said. "It is important to be able to connect any foreigner to an appropriate contact point, including tax accountants." Sato added, "Some foreigners may lose their motivation when tax return forms are only available in Japanese. Multilingualization is the first step to encourage them to pay their taxes."

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Why don't you contract with a certified public accountant doing English correspondence?

I use a "Yayoi accounts online" system.
I was able to apply for this accounting system from "account book making" to "final income tax return registration" in approximately three days.
As it cooperated with a bank and credit, the electronic money, input was easy.

When accountants become more than just a time saver for filing taxes, for individuals, then the taxes are too complicated.

I am convinced that part of the reason taxes are so complicated in the US is so that tax/accounting companies can make money.

Petaris said:

When accountants become more than just a time saver for filing taxes, for individuals, then the taxes are too complicated.

I am convinced that part of the reason taxes are so complicated in the US is so that tax/accounting companies can make money.

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So that companies like TurboTax, TaxAct, etc., can continue to have a lock on the tax prep market.

This is something that the government should be supplying, not private companies leeching off what the government has not done, and then also blocking the government from disrupting the market position they have staked out.