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Get a tax break plus lobster & beef in Japan

Taxpayers who donate to towns with dwindling populations receive a wide range of thank-you gifts in return

Published Sun, May 31, 2015 · 09:50 PM

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    Hirado, Japan

    TAX breaks come in many forms. Charitable gifts. Healthcare expenses. Mortgage interest payments. In this small fishing village, they come in a cooler. It is part of the great tax giveaway happening across Japan. Taxpayers who donate money to Hirado get a nice deduction and a shipment of slipper lobsters, spiral-shelled molluscs and oysters.

    Don't like seafood? Hirado has hundreds of other thank-you gifts, like a monthly vegetable delivery, a fold-up electric bike or a wedding photo shoot with formal wear and hotel stay included.

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