Heading To No More Zero Income Benefit State Of Mind

Is it just my feeling, or is it real that I received more tax and insurance bills this year ? I have to admit that I was quite surprised when I saw the amount for the first time because it seems I won't be getting any less-than-a-certain-amount income benefits, much less zero income benefits (discounts) this year. I am sure that most of you already know that you have to pay taxes based on the amount of money that you earned. Plus, in Japan, if you live here for more than a year, you have to register (and pay) your National Health Insurance which basically cuts your medical expenses as much as 70%. For zero or less-than-a-certain-amount income earners, you get discounts. This is why the medical expenses, at least not for big ones like surgeries, are not much more expensive than those in Indonesia, for example.

Now, the calculation is basically based on your income a year before, so since I have been working as a part-timer since around mid-2007, I have to pay the full amount of the bills starting this year (based on the income in 2008), plus since I already have a wife, the amount of the bill is doubled. This is something that I had not anticipated before.

Being almost 30 this year and as a someone who will soon become a father, maybe it's time for me to let go of those nice benefits and start experiencing the full impact of entering a society, unprotected by any kind of benefits although I would very much love to get them. I am quite optimistic however that my new job next year will be able to lessen this anxiousness.

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