Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday his government will keep up efforts to achieve sustainable growth in the Japanese economy, a precondition for planned sales tax hikes. "I want to bring about the economic environment that would warrant the tax hikes," Abe told a Diet committee session, in reference to economic policies encompassing monetary easing, flexible fiscal spending and growth strategy.

WASHINGTON - Americans kept increasing their spending in March and their income grew, further indication that consumers are shaking off higher taxes. The Commerce Department said Monday that consumer spending rose 0.2 per cent in March from February. That followed a 0.7 per cent jump in February and a 0.3 per cent gain in January. Income increased 0.2 per cent last month, following a gain of 1.1 per cent in February. After-tax income also rose 0.2 per cent.

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's government plans to lower company tax rates "significantly" as part of a wider plan of incentives to drag the economy out of its worst recession since the 1970s, Economy Minister Alvaro Santos Pereira said on Tuesday. "We want more investment and the main instrument here is the reform of the company tax that we intend to carry out via a significant decrease in tax rates to make investment more attractive," he told a briefing.

By Krista Hughes WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mexico is making good progress towards a "large" reform of its inefficient taxation system, with details of the overhaul expected this fall, Finance Minister Luis Videgaray said on Saturday.