gomichild wrote:I'm in Kanagawa and my taxes this year are on par with Tokyo ones. I nearly fell over when I opened my little envelope!
I guess now is the time to find out just what your local area is doing with the money - and what services they offer - especially in regards to foreign residents. Does the local library offer books in different languages? Do they provide enough information in different languages for their residents? Do we have access to how this money is being used?
We may be legal residents, but we are not citizens - and that means two things:
- can't vote
- constitutional rights are generally only afforded to citizens
That's not to say some communities are not pro-active and sensitive about accomodating certain foreign populations ... however, it's not anything they are forced or required to do. And, in some cases, it's out of concern that the foreign population without these services -- unchecked might increasingly disturb the sweet precious Wa that is Japanese.