Maezawa answers:
Basically, you’re expected to prepare your own tax return.
These days, the National Tax Agency has also created an online tax-filing site. You just enter the necessary figures online, and your tax return is generated for you. It’s very easy.
On the National Tax Agency’s website, look for “Income Tax (Tax Return Preparation Section).” You should be able to find it by searching.
If you’re worried about doing it yourself, you can use the tax consultation desk at your local tax office. They’ll kindly guide you through the process.
If even that feels like too much trouble, ask a tax accountant, who is a professional, to handle it for you. Naturally, there’s a fee, but they’ll prepare an accurate tax return and help prevent mistakes.
Some tax accountants even boast, “When my seal is on it (tax returns prepared by a tax accountant bear the accountant’s seal), the tax office trusts it more, so they won’t make unnecessary inquiries.” (Though I’m not sure how true that is.)
You’re also worried about getting caught because you have a primary job, but simply registering with Universe Club doesn’t count as secondary employment. So even if your company prohibits side jobs, I don’t think it should be a problem.
The allowance and similar payments would probably be considered gifts.
Also, even if you file a tax return, it generally won’t be discovered. The usual explanation is that your resident tax changes depending on your income, and someone in your company’s accounting department may notice that the amount doesn’t match their calculations and wonder, “Could this be a side job?”
Either way, registering with Universe Club isn’t considered secondary employment, so I think you should be fine.
