The "Notice of Determination of the Provisional Collection Amount for Special Collection of Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums for FY2022" dated May 31 was received from the Ryukazaki City Office.
Long-term care insurance premiums for pensioners are automatically deducted from their pensions. This is called special collection of long-term care insurance premiums.
I knew this, so I was not surprised, but when I saw the amount, I was surprised.
It says that a whopping 41,800 yen will be collected for the June and August pensions.
Since I filed my income tax return in March for last year's income, I knew the long-term care insurance premiums couldn't possibly be that much; with the income determined by the March tax return, the calculation would be in the 70,000 yen per year range.
If you read the notice carefully, you will find the following statement.
The long-term care insurance premiums are determined based on the income for the previous year (2021), but since the income is determined in June, the premiums cannot be determined until July.
Therefore, the premiums deducted from the pensions to be paid in April, June, and August are provisional amounts based on the premiums paid in the previous year (2021)…"
In other words, the amount of last year's income has not been determined, so they should pay the same premiums as the previous year until it is determined.
But wait a minute. Based on the previous year's income, tax returns are filed in March.
Moreover, a "Notice of Determination/Change of Special Collection of Residential and Prefectural Taxes" dated May 12 has been issued for this fiscal year's resident tax.
Since income, etc., has been determined, the "inhabitant tax and prefectural inhabitant tax" has been decided.
In other words, it is strange that income etc. is not finalized until June.
I think that both inhabitant tax and long-term care insurance premiums are calculated based on the same income. If this is the case, I don't understand why only long-term care insurance premiums are calculated in June.
It would be understandable if they were to collect provisionally from the June pension, but why would they collect provisionally for August for the same reason?
I'll ask city hall about that situation later in the week.
Still, Japan is a country with a heavy burden of taxes (income tax, inhabitant tax, fixed asset tax, consumption tax), social insurance (employee pension insurance premiums, health insurance premiums, unemployment insurance premiums), long-term care insurance premiums, and so on.
Even if they finally start receiving pensions, their take-home pay after taxes and insurance premiums is still small.
The Japanese government must want to make its citizens poor. That's what I really think these days.
【Postscript.】
When I asked the Ryugasaki City Hall why it was not finalized until June, they told me that the calculation of income, etc. was completed in May at the tax department, but the figures would not come to the Care and Welfare Department until June.
This is a department within the same city hall. It needs improvement.
