Will the Consumption Tax hike in Japan throw the country off its growth path?

Japan’s Goods and Services Tax – otherwise known as Consumption Tax – was raised from 5% in 1997 to 8% in April 2014. It is set to further increase to 10% in October 2015. This decision was taken to help support higher fiscal expenditures linked to Japan’s ageing population, while also helping to trim the government’s debt.

The effect of the revised tax rate cannot be ignored. Retail sales in April 2014 declined by 4.4%, exceeding the consensus forecast of 3.3% – the biggest decline since the Tohoku earthquake of 2011.

Nonetheless, there are a few positives. Corporate orders for machinery have been on the rise since March 2014. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) also rose higher than expected at 5.9% annually in Q1 2014 – the fastest pace recorded in over three years.

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-the-consumption-tax-hike-in-japan-throw-the-country-off-its-growth-path/

Comments

Ghana citizenships to boost economy

In November 2019, 126 African-Americans and Afro-Caribbean’s were granted citizenship, in a ceremony that marks 2019 as the Year of Return. 500,000 tourists are expected to visit Ghana during the Year of Return, a considerable increase from the 380,000 that visited in 2018. Visa on arrival for some and waive off of Visa charges have been introduced. The government also plans to invest in educated returnees to help boost the economy through employment. Is investment in human capital the way to boost Ghana’s economy? Read more: https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/ghana-citizenships-to-boost-economy/

Indonesia’s tourism industry set to grow

Indonesia is now poised to become a popular holiday destination for national and international tourists. The growing tourism sector is becoming economically significant. Against that backdrop, the third South East Asia Hotel Expansion Summit 2014 gathered key industry stakeholders and service providers from Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector to discuss the market outlook and potential business opportunities. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, was amongst the prestigious list of speakers at the 3rd Annual SEA Expansion Summit 2014 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In his presentation, Bahar emphasized how the tourism sector boosts the economy. 2014 saw a record number of inbound tourist arrivals, at 8.6 million. He shared that Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector is expected to grow further due to the implementation of a common ASEAN Visa, expected by the end of 2015. However, the nation still struggles with challenges such a...

China leads the way with eco-innovation

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/china-leads-the-way-with-eco-innovation/ China is starting to take a leading position in eco-innovation. This has been driven by the country’s large-scale efforts to address pressing environmental challenges, such as in the areas of air pollution and flood control. Many companies are lending support to this cause. For instance, the Beijing subway introduced special vending machines in May last year which reward commuters with discounts on their travel pass when they recycle plastic bottles. In the same year, Nike opened a concept store in Shanghai which was entirely constructed out of trash. The no-glue construction ensured that all materials could be reused in future. Is China ready to remap the path of eco-innovation?

Artificial intelligence makes its mark!

The market for artificial intelligence is growing at a steady clip. The recent acquisition of the artificial intelligence start-up, DeepMind by Google for a reported USD400 million signals the commercial arrival of this technology. Moreover, with the global market for artificial intelligence valued at USD900 million in 2013, and with its proven ability to reduce manual processes, there is a possibility that it may eliminate many U.S. jobs. But if previous waves of technological transformation in human history are anything to go by, the resources this unleashes will go to creating new industries, markets and jobs. Will artificial intelligence put human beings out of work? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/artificial-intelligence-makes-its-mark/

Robots : Changing industries, expanding possibilities

Robots are now prevalent across many industries, not only heavy manufacturing. Today’s robots are more precise and can be controlled remotely, which is why there is a preference for them over error-prone humans in some parts of the services industry. With over 179,000 industrial robots sold worldwide in 2013, robots are now set to conquer a new arena – the household. What is a robot? The first thing that comes to mind when the word robot is uttered is a machine that imitates a human being, such as the androids from Hollywood’s Star Wars or Terminator movies. The reality, though, is that the hundreds of thousands of industrial robots operating in the world resemble high-tech machinery more than high-tech humanoids. A robot is defined as a programmable, self-controlled device with electrical, electronic or mechanical units. Robots have some advantages over humans when it comes to work – they have better physical endurance and are more adept at working under uncomfortable or da...

The Knowledge to Decide

Search This Blog