困窮世帯、公共料金など猶予　週内に生活支援策―安倍首相

　安倍晋三首相は１６日の参院予算委員会で、新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大を受けた生活困窮世帯への支援策として、公共料金の支払いや納税を猶予する方向で検討していることを明らかにした。政府は今週中に生活支援策をまとめる方針だ。消費税減税については効果を慎重に見極める考えを示した。
　首相は「今までにない思い切った対応で生活が困窮しないようにしていきたい」と表明。電気料金といった公共料金や税金を挙げて「支払いの猶予を速やかに検討する」と明言し、週内に支援策を策定する意向も示した。野党共同会派の舟山康江氏らへの答弁。
　また、今回の感染拡大による経済への影響を勘案し、どの程度の規模で猶予が必要になるか精査する考えを示した。（2020/03/16-18:54）

Japan's government is considering allowing poor households to defer payments of taxes and utility bills amid the spread of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday.
   The government plans to draw up measures to support people's lives by the end of this week, he told a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament.
   On a proposed cut in the consumption tax rate, meanwhile, Abe showed a stance of carefully examining effects of the step.
   "We are ready to take unprecedented drastic measures so that people do not live in want," he said. "We'll swiftly consider a payment moratorium," Abe said, referring to electricity and other utility bills, as well as taxes. The government will look into the coverage of the moratorium by taking the impact of the virus spread on the domestic economy into account.
   In response to a call from an opposition lawmaker for a cut in the consumption tax, which was raised to 10 pct from 8 pct last October, Abe said, "We will examine (the proposal) by fully considering to what extent it would be effective, as well as what we should do to stimulate demand and help the economy get back to a path of stable growth."