One month to go until the end of the application deadline… Hometown tax specialists carefully select the best tax returns! The “Best Returned Goods” with a donation of 10,000 yen or less!
Only one month left until the end of this year’s application deadline!
The environment surrounding hometown taxation has drastically changed since October 1 of this year.
Under this system, taxpayers can receive deductions for both residential and income taxes by making donations based on their income to municipalities other than their place of residence. For a self-payment of 2,000 yen, you can receive a return gift of up to 30% of the amount of your donation from the municipality you donated to, and if you use the campaigns offered by the various portal sites, you can even receive points back.
It was a “divine system” that no one could avoid using. However, the system has been revised to prohibit the granting of points by portal sites since October 1, 2012. Mr. Keisuke Tobita, editor-in-chief of “Furusato Tax Guide,” a website for comparing tax payments in Furusato.
It is only natural that the peak of applications this year came by the end of September, just before the system was changed. In other words, there are more people than usual who have already completed the main application but have a little more time left to reach the limit. Therefore, small returns of less than 10,000 yen are attracting more attention as a way to adjust the limit.
In fact, in the popularity ranking of my “Furusato Tax Payment Guide,” six out of the top 10 are returns of 10,000 yen or less (at the time of the interview). It seems that local governments and businesses understand this growing need, and I have the impression that they are offering more small-amount returned goods compared to previous years.
Even though the point redemption has been eliminated, it is still possible to obtain local specialties from all over Japan for only 2,000 yen out-of-pocket. Therefore, FRIDAY sought the advice of hometown tax specialists and carefully selected the most advantageous tax returns that can be applied for for less than 10,000 yen. Please refer to the table and make use of it for your “rush” at the end of the year.
Even with a donation of less than 10,000 yen, you can enjoy fine foodstuffs,” said Masahiro Kai, a “Furusato tax professional” who covers his daily life with Furusato tax returns and provides information on Furusato tax through various media.
In Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, you can get “Amaou” strawberries for a donation of 5,000 yen, but the quantity and donation amount vary depending on the season. However, please note that the amount of strawberries and the donation amount vary depending on the time of year. Since the price of strawberries rises in December during the Christmas season, you can enjoy a large quantity of strawberries at a low price if you choose to send them after the new year, or if you choose strawberries that are not particular about their size or shape.
Mikan, a synonym for winter fruit, is another popular small-value return gift.
For a donation of 6,000 yen to the town of Mihama in Wakayama Prefecture, you can get 1.25 kg of Arita mikans. They are only unevenly sized, but the taste is the same. Other municipalities also offer mikan returns, but Mihama-cho has the lowest price level.
Also, the famous high-end fruit, the Shine Muscat, can be obtained for a donation of less than 10,000 yen if you make full use of the advance reservation. For example, if you donate 10,000 yen to Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture, through “Amazon Furusato Tax Payment”, you can enjoy 1.2 kg of Shine Muscat.
While the market price is 1,000 yen per 100g, it is 833 yen per 100g in Fujiyoshida City. Although it will be a long time before the fruits arrive if you apply now, in September next year, it is rare to find such a high-cost return gift during the period from summer to autumn, when the number of applications for Shain Muscat is concentrated,” said Tobita.
From the December 12, 2025 issue of FRIDAY
