NAKASONE'S SALES TAX PLAN SUFFERS ANOTHER DENT
Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone's
unpopular sales tax plan suffered another dent today when
members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) called for
time to be taken in dealing with the proposed sales tax, party
officials said.
    The call came in a resolution adopted by a group of some
150 LDP parliamentarians and secretaries, acting on behalf of
their parliamentarians, at a meeting at the LDP headquarters,
they said. The MPs represented seemed to Account for one-third
of LDP MPs.
    The group is an LDP voluntary organisation, called the
Parliamentarians' Research Society for Reestablishment of
Finances claiming a membership of about 300 MPs, they said.
    Meanwhle, Nakasone this evening hinted that his party might
be ready to accept some modification to the five-pct sales tax
proposal after the fiscal 1987 state budget plan was passed by
parliament. The LDP suffered a setback in last Sunday's local
elections because of the controvertial tax plan. The result
also undermined Nakasone's prestige, giving rise to a
possibility that he might be forced out of office before
October 30, when he is supposed to step down.
 REUTER
