Donations to quake-hit towns in Hokkaido rise sharply in FY 2018

Donations to three towns in Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, hit by a powerful earthquake last year, expanded sharply in fiscal 2018 under the government's "hometown tax" program, according to local governments.Under the plan, which allows taxpayers to contribute to their hometowns or other municipalities of their choice in return for tax cuts, donations to Atsuma grew 5.4-fold from the previous year to a record for the town of some 1.13 billion yen ($11 million).The town of Abira also pulled in a record 605 million yen in donations, a jump of 1.6-times from the previous year, …READ FULL ARTICLE