<![CDATA[Japan's Sales Tax Complications]]>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/japan-pm-sanae-takaichi-pledged-sales-tax-cut-systems-arent-designed

Short version:

  • New Prime Minister promises to suspend sales tax
  • Blames delay on computer systems' inability to calculate 0% sales tax -- company maintaining said system says will need a year of work to implement 0% sales tax
  • may come down to doing 1% sales tax for food first -- even this will take half a year

I wonder if they use COBOL.

]]>https://wtf.coffee-room.com/topic/3653/japan-s-sales-tax-complicationsRSS for NodeTue, 26 May 2026 13:36:33 GMTTue, 26 May 2026 11:47:39 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Japan's Sales Tax Complications on Tue, 26 May 2026 12:36:07 GMT]]>OK, so I was a COBOL programmer. Even back when dinosaurs and I roamed the earth together, implementing a zero percent sales tax would have involved a user changing the rate from the "terminal" on their desk.

Now, get off my lawn!

]]>https://wtf.coffee-room.com/post/25388https://wtf.coffee-room.com/post/25388Tue, 26 May 2026 12:36:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Japan's Sales Tax Complications on Tue, 26 May 2026 11:52:30 GMT]]>

@Axtremus said:

I wonder if they use COBOL.

I googled. COBOL is over 60 years old!! 🤣🤣🤣

Fax, COBOL. sounds legit. 😂

]]>https://wtf.coffee-room.com/post/25387https://wtf.coffee-room.com/post/25387Tue, 26 May 2026 11:52:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Japan's Sales Tax Complications on Tue, 26 May 2026 11:51:04 GMT]]>OMG classic. They’re probably sending code back and forth by fax….

]]>https://wtf.coffee-room.com/post/25386https://wtf.coffee-room.com/post/25386Tue, 26 May 2026 11:51:04 GMT