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Why does Japan's self-medication tax system help some households only if they stop thinking of it as 'medicine receipts equals deduction'?
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I buy quite a lot of over-the-counter medicine in Japan and heard there is a self-medication tax benefit. Please explain why the rule is still narrower than it sounds, and why people who treat it like a generic pharmacy deduction can misread the whole system.
Related Questions
Why is Canada's refundable medical expense supplement aimed at lower-income workers rather than at everyone with a painful stack of medical bills?
Medical bills feel expensive regardless of income, so people are surprised when CRA's refundable medical expense supplement is not simply available to every taxpayer who spent a lot on care. Please explain why the supplement is more targeted than that and what problem it is really trying to solve.
Why does Canada treat medical travel as part of the medical-expense system only when the trip was really about access to care, not just inconvenience?
People who travelled a long way for treatment in Canada often assume the distance alone should make the costs deductible. Please explain why CRA still tests the trip carefully, why travel belongs inside the medical-expense rules rather than in some separate hardship category, and why documentation matters so much.
Why do Canada's attendant-care and nursing-home medical claims feel more technical than the simple idea that care is care?
Families paying for attendant care or full-time care in Canada often assume the tax system will just treat all serious care costs under one generous medical umbrella. Please explain why CRA is more exact than that, why facility breakdowns matter, and why one care claim can affect other credits or disability claims.
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