Japan’s Rural Towns Are Luring Tax From Tokyo With Beef and Beer
Some small communities benefit while city services suffer
Japanese Towns Use Beef and Beer to Lure Taxes
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Want a free case of craft beer? If you send 30,000 yen ($260) or more of your taxes to the town of Yamanouchi in Nagano prefecture, they’ll send you 24 bottles of a locally brewed beer to say thanks.
Want beef? Redirect 50,000 yen of your local area taxes to Miyakonojo in Miyazaki, and you’ll get 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of high-grade beef in return.