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Japan’s Rural Towns Are Luring Tax From Tokyo With Beef and Beer

Some small communities benefit while city services suffer
Bloomberg business news

Japanese Towns Use Beef and Beer to Lure Taxes

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.