Created in 2008, “Hometown Tax” is a system that allows those who do not reside in the town they were raised in to pay residency tax and to make donations to their hometowns. Since it allows tax payers to contribute to municipalities other than their hometowns, in the beginning people have used it as a way to send aid to municipalities affected by natural disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, as time passes, more and more municipalities are giving expensive gifts in return for these contributions and several websites showcasing these thank you products have been created. Because its true purpose has become distorted with many people starting to pay aiming to acquire gifts in return, the system was revised in June this year.