Japan's government restores a hefty and unpopular tax on gasoline in the
midst of a string of national holidays, despite angry drivers and scuffles in
parliament as opposition lawmakers tried to stop a vote on the issue.

TOKYO, JAPAN (MAY 01, 2008) TV TOKYO -

Most petrol stations across Japan were left empty and some were even
forced to close down as soon as they ran out of gasoline on Thursday (May 1).
This is due to Japan's ruling coalition ramming a bill through parliament on
Wednesday (April 30) restoring a tax of 25.1 yen ($0.24 U.S. dollar) a litre
on gasoline in the midst of a string of national holidays, despite opposition
by many drivers and lawmakers.
    The return of the unpopular tax on gasoline halfway through Golden Week
holidays, when many families take to the road, comes amid rumblings within the
ruling coalition that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda should quit.
    "Though the fuel price will only go back to the original price
last month, the price will still rise," said Fukuda at a nationally
televised news conference held after the passage. "It had been a very
difficult decision when every nationals are making efforts to cut cost in
their daily life," he added. 
    Surveys show his popular support has already sagged to below 30 percent
as voters fret about rising food and fuel prices and a slowing economy.
    Fukuda said restoring the tax had been a difficult decision but that
losing the annual 2.6 trillion yen ($25 billion U.S. dollar) revenue from the
tax would pinch the government's hard-pressed budget.
    Angered by the ruling bloc's decision to force through the bill
restoring the tax, opposition lawmakers crowded parliament waving placards
reading "abuse of power" and "end roads waste".
    They also tried to block the speaker of parliament's lower house from
the chamber, forcing him to wrestle his way through with the help of security
officials an hour later to get the vote passed.
    Before midnight on Wednesday, long lines of cars formed at petrol
stations ahead of the move as drivers took advantage of the lower prices. Many
petrol stations immediately raised prices passed midnight.
    "I couldn't come yesterday because most petrol stations were
crowded. I don't have any choice coming today though it's a bit
expensive," said one driver, who chose to come after the raise.
    "I saw cars go in to the petrol station assuming it was cheaper,
but they had already raised the price," said one disappointed driver, who
rushed to the petrol station shortly after midnight hoping to catch a cheaper
deal.
    Tempers frayed at one petrol station near Osaka, where a man was
arrested for threatening another driver after jumping a fuel queue on Tuesday
(April 29), the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported.
    Aggravating the issue, record global oil prices mean the price of
petrol will likely jump 30 yen after the tax returns.
    The petrol price fell when a three-decade old "temporary" tax
lapsed at the end of March because of a stalemate in parliament.
    Opposition groups, led by the main opposition Democratic Party, stalled
the issue in parliament's upper house, which they control. The government can
push through a bill in parliament's more powerful lower house after 60 days,
which has now passed.
    The opposition, which is pushing for an early election, says a tax
earmarked for road building is wasteful.
    No lower house election is required until September 2009 and Fukuda
said he had no intention of dissolving the lower house.
    But some would like to see an earlier poll in hopes it could help break
gridlock in parliament, perhaps by sparking a regrouping of lawmakers from the
two main political parties.