VSG Inheritance Tax Accountant Corporation's Yayoi Takayama Contributes to "Zeikei Tsushin" May 2026 Issue, Explaining Capital Gains Tax

Yayoi Takayama, a certified tax accountant belonging to VSG Inheritance Tax Accountant Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Tax Accountant: Hiroaki Furouya), announced her contribution to the May 2026 issue of "Zeikei Tsushin," a tax specialized magazine published by Zeimu Keiri Kyokai Co., Ltd. Her article, titled "Basic Flow of Capital Gains Tax Filing and Calculation Method," is featured in the special section "Measures for Increased Filing Cases: Capital Gains Tax Filing for Real Estate and Application Requirements for Special Provisions." In recent years, rising real estate prices have led to increased interest in tax responses related to real estate transfers. According to the National Tax Agency's "Status of Final Tax Returns for Income Tax, Consumption Tax, and Gift Tax for Reiwa 6 (Press Release)," the number of individuals filing capital gains from land and other assets was 580,000 (up 4.3% year-on-year), of which 390,000 had taxable income (up 3.4% year-on-year), and the total income amounted to 6.4993 trillion yen (up 6.8% year-on-year). This increase in filing cases indicates the growing practical importance of calculating capital gains and applying special provisions. Furthermore, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Summary of Reiwa 6 Prefectural Land Price Survey Results" showed that residential land prices in the three major metropolitan areas rose for the third consecutive year, with an expanding rate of increase. Against the backdrop of soaring housing prices and an active real estate market, individuals are increasingly facing situations requiring capital gains tax filing, such as selling their homes or transferring inherited vacant houses. Capital gains often involve large transaction amounts, and the tax amount can vary significantly depending on the applicability of special provisions. Therefore, an accurate understanding of basic principles has become more crucial than ever. This article systematically covers fundamental aspects essential for capital gains tax filing practice, including the determination of long-term and short-term gains, the concept of the acquisition date, calculation of separated capital gains, organization of acquisition costs and transfer expenses, confirmation of various special deductions, and documents to be attached to the tax return. Misjudging the applicability of special provisions can significantly impact the tax amount, demanding precise practical judgment. This article organizes the foundational knowledge necessary for such judgments. It is essential reading for those involved in tax practice related to real estate transfers. Key points of the contribution (summary): In capital gains tax filing, it is first necessary to properly determine long-term and short-term capital gains. The prerequisite "acquisition date" is a point often overlooked in practice, as its treatment differs depending on the cause of acquisition, such as sale, inheritance/bequest/gift, division of property, compensatory division, exchange, or replacement. Furthermore, in tax calculation, it is crucial to correctly organize each element: income amount, acquisition cost, transfer expenses, and special deductions. In particular, the concept of acquisition cost for buildings, applicability of estimated acquisition costs, special provisions for adding inheritance tax to acquisition costs, and the 30 million yen special deduction for residential property significantly affect the tax amount if misjudged, requiring careful handling. Article structure: Introduction, I. Determination of Long-Term and Short-Term, II. Acquisition Date (General rule, Cases not deemed transfer by inheritance/bequest/gift, Cases deemed transfer by inheritance/bequest/gift, Assets acquired for less than half of market value, Assets acquired by division of property, Assets acquired by compensatory division, Assets acquired by application of special provisions such as exchange, replacement, or expropriation), III. Calculation of Separated Capital Gains (Income amount, Acquisition cost (1) What constitutes acquisition cost, (2) In the case of buildings, (3) Estimated acquisition cost, (4) Special provision for adding inheritance tax to acquisition cost when inherited property is transferred), Transfer expenses, Special deductions ((1) Special deduction of 50 million yen for transfer of land/buildings for public works, (2) Special deduction of 30 million yen for transfer of residential property, (3) Special deduction of 20 million yen for transfer of land/other assets for specific land readjustment projects, (4) Special deduction of 15 million yen for transfer of land/other assets for specific residential land development projects, (5) Special deduction of 10 million yen for transfer of land/other assets located in Japan acquired in 2009 and 2010, (6) Special deduction of 8 million yen for transfer of agricultural land for rationalization of agricultural land ownership, (7) Special deduction of 1 million yen for transfer of low-utilization land/other assets), IV. Documents to be attached to the tax return, Conclusion. Publication information: Magazine: Zeikei Tsushin (Zeimu Keiri Kyokai Co., Ltd.), Issue: May 2026, Release date: April 10, 2026, Contributor: Yayoi Takayama, Certified Tax Accountant, VSG Inheritance Tax Accountant Corporation, Theme: Basic Flow of Capital Gains Tax Filing and Calculation Method. Author profile: Yayoi Takayama, Certified Tax Accountant, VSG Inheritance Tax Accountant Corporation. Born 1976, Saitama Prefecture. Member of Tokyo Tax Accountant Association, Tachikawa Branch (Registration No.: 116324). Authored and supervised numerous books on tax and accounting. VSG Inheritance Tax Accountant Corporation: A specialized inheritance tax accountant corporation belonging to the VSG (Venture Support Group), which operates 59 offices nationwide. Over 3,500 inheritance tax filings annually. The group includes various professionals such as tax accountant corporations, administrative scrivener corporations, judicial scrivener corporations, law firms, social insurance labor consultant corporations, land and house investigator corporations, real estate companies, insurance sales agencies, and financial product intermediaries.