Tax office puts seized toy figures of young girls up for sale on Net [News From Japan]
Smart. A little scary, but smart.
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OTARU, Hokkaido -- A tax office here has put a set of figures of young girls seized from a tax delinquent up for auction on the Internet "to deepen understanding about the prefectural government's tax collection," taxation officials said.
The figures, which were put up for auction by the prefectural government's Otaru tax office, included characters from a love simulation game marketed in the 1990s. The figures are no longer produced and are considered valuable collectors' items.
"Our aim isn't to sell them for a high price, but to deepen understanding about tax collection in Hokkaido. We want to draw people's attention," an official from the tax office said.
In tax office-related Net actions, the prefectural government puts seized assets of tax delinquents up for sale on major auction sites such the site operated by Yahoo, and collects the money from sales.
In February this year, the tax office in Otaru put four figures seized from a toy retailer in Hokkaido's Shiribeshi district up for auction. The figures were in their original unopened packages. In the past, most of the seized items sold over the Internet have been things like automobiles and works of art, and it was the first time for authorities to sell collectors' figures. Over 100 bids were placed for the items, which went for between five and seven times the estimated figure of 1,000 yen. The top bid was 7,250 yen.
On Wednesday last week, the tax office put 10 sets of figures seized from the same toy retailer up for auction. Bidding will be open until May 1, and bids will be placed between May 8 and 10.
"In public sales in the past, only a limited variety of people such as second-hand dealers were able to participate, but with the spread of the Internet, toy figures regarded as movable assets have also attracted buyers," an official from the tax office said, commenting on the auction. (Mainichi)
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OTARU, Hokkaido -- A tax office here has put a set of figures of young girls seized from a tax delinquent up for auction on the Internet "to deepen understanding about the prefectural government's tax collection," taxation officials said.
The figures, which were put up for auction by the prefectural government's Otaru tax office, included characters from a love simulation game marketed in the 1990s. The figures are no longer produced and are considered valuable collectors' items.
"Our aim isn't to sell them for a high price, but to deepen understanding about tax collection in Hokkaido. We want to draw people's attention," an official from the tax office said.
In tax office-related Net actions, the prefectural government puts seized assets of tax delinquents up for sale on major auction sites such the site operated by Yahoo, and collects the money from sales.
In February this year, the tax office in Otaru put four figures seized from a toy retailer in Hokkaido's Shiribeshi district up for auction. The figures were in their original unopened packages. In the past, most of the seized items sold over the Internet have been things like automobiles and works of art, and it was the first time for authorities to sell collectors' figures. Over 100 bids were placed for the items, which went for between five and seven times the estimated figure of 1,000 yen. The top bid was 7,250 yen.
On Wednesday last week, the tax office put 10 sets of figures seized from the same toy retailer up for auction. Bidding will be open until May 1, and bids will be placed between May 8 and 10.
"In public sales in the past, only a limited variety of people such as second-hand dealers were able to participate, but with the spread of the Internet, toy figures regarded as movable assets have also attracted buyers," an official from the tax office said, commenting on the auction. (Mainichi)