Opposition parties to press Ishiba on tax cuts after election gains

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba remains opposed to a consumption tax cut, but opposition parties are expected to intensify calls for such measures after gaining more seats in Sunday's House of Councillors election.Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, suffered a major setback in the upper house election, as the ruling bloc proposed cash handouts to address inflation as a key pillar of its campaign pledges.Opposition forces have pledged to reduce or abolish the consumption tax, currently set at 10 percent for most goods and services and 8 percent for food…READ FULL ARTICLE