Medicines that you sometimes have to rely on to stay healthy every day. Did you know that the "self-medication tax system" will come into effect in 2017, which may reduce the burden on those who have given up on unavoidable expenses? I was curious, so I investigated it in detail.

■ How much medicine do you buy in a year?

The self-medication tax system is a system in which when the purchase amount of switch OTC drugs exceeds 12,000 yen per year, income deduction is available for the excess amount (up to 88,000 yen). In other words, a part of the purchase price will be deducted from the taxable amount of income tax and residence tax. If you roughly convert it and think that you will buy 1,000 yen or more a month, it seems to be surprisingly true.

■ What kind of medicine is the target?

So what kind of products are actually targeted?

The system applies to switch OTC drugs that have been diverted from medical use. 82 items have been selected for the number of ingredients and about 1,500 items have been selected for the number of products, and you can refer to the product list on the official website of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

When I compared it with the first aid kit at home, I found some that I usually buy. It seems that cold medicines and allergy medicines that are often taken care of in the future are also applicable.


But do I have to check the list every time I buy? When I asked Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare from my home, it seems that a common identification mark will be displayed in the future, but since there are some that have not been dealt with, at the moment, the websites of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and each company before purchasing I asked you to confirm it at.



■ How do you apply?

The application is filed annually, and in that case, a receipt stating the following 5 points is required (receipt if it cannot be issued).

・ Product name / amount (calculation target is tax-included amount)
・ The product is subject to the self-medication tax system ・ Store name ・ Purchase date

Another point to note is that the application of the system requires that you take regular health checkups to improve your own health and prevent illness . In addition, you cannot apply at the same time as the conventional medical expense deduction *. When a family member who makes one living purchases the target item, it is recommended to keep the receipt / receipt for one year and decide which one to apply at the end of December. I wonder if it is a good idea to create a file for receipts and store it next year.

In the first place, self-medication is "responsible for one's own health and treating mild symptoms by oneself". I would like to utilize such a system wisely because it will lead to the reduction of expensive national medical expenses for the country.

※ medical expenses deduction: system see part of the amount in excess of 100,000 yen at his own expense and medical expenses are deducted in the year: the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare site , Japan OTC Federation site