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From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
Demonstrators recently protested outside the British Treasury to call on the world's richest countries to end so called tax havens. These tax haven policies allow companies to move their profits to countries with lower taxes. An investigation found that this practice costs Africa alone $38 billion a year in lost taxes. Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan led the investigation.
示威者最近在英国财政部外面抗议,呼吁全球最富有的国家终结所有的避税天堂。这些避税天堂政策允许企业将其利润转移到低税收的国家。一项调查发现,仅非洲每年就因为这种做法遭受380亿美元的税收损失。联合国前秘书长科菲·安南(Kofi Annan)领导这项调查。
The demonstrators at the Treasury called on Chancellor George Osborne to discuss the practice with finance ministers from other wealthy countries. Melanie Ward is spokesperson for the 'Enough For Everyone If' campaign.
英国财政部外的示威者呼吁英国财政大臣乔治·奥斯本(George Osborne)与其它富裕国家的财长讨论一下这种做法。梅拉妮·沃德(Melanie Ward)是“如果人人知足”运动的发言人。
"I think a lot of people here in the U.K. and around the world are fed up with tax dodging. They are fed up with a system where the rich and powerful play by a different set of rules to everybody else."
她说,“我认为英国和世界各地很多人已经厌倦了偷税,厌倦了权贵阶层遵循与他人不同的规则。”
Ronen Palan is a professor at City University London. Professor Palan says tax havens and no-tax countries like Ireland are popular, because companies and wealthy individuals can save money.
罗恩·帕兰(Ronen Palan)是伦敦城市大学的教授。帕兰教授表示,像爱尔兰这种避税天堂和无税国家很受欢迎,因为公司和富人可以省钱。
"These countries offer very low taxation, either to corporations or to individuals. And specifically they target non-residents."
他说,“这些国家向企业和个人提供极低税制,它们专门针对非居民。”
But critics of tax havens say big companies transfer profits out of the very countries on which they and their wealth depend.
但避税天堂的批评者表示,大公司把利润转移出他们财富所依赖的国家。
"Africa exported about $1 trillion of capital in the last 30 years whereas inward investment in terms of FDI [Foreign Direct Investment] or aid is about $300 billion. So Africa is losing capital. Africa, or sub-Saharan Africa, is actually funding development elsewhere."
“过去30年非洲流出了1万亿美元资金,而反过来外国直接投资或援助的外来投资大约是3000亿美元。所以非洲资金在外流。非洲或撒哈拉以南非洲实际上是在资助其它地方的发展。”
But charity ActionAid says the brewing company SABMiller uses a complex system of tax havens. It says this system moves profits out of the company's operations in developing countries like Ghana. SABMiller denies any tax abuses. It says in 2010 it paid about $250 million in corporate taxes in India and sub-Saharan Africa. ActionAid also accuses an Associated British Foods of using its subsidiary companies to reduce its taxes in Zambia by millions of dollars. Associated British Foods says the accusations are "incomplete at best and factually wrong in places."
但慈善行动救援组织(charity ActionAid)表示,南非米勒酿酒公司(SABMiller)使用一套非常复杂的避税天堂系统。该组织表示,该系统将该公司的经营利润转移出加纳等发展中国家。南非米勒否认任何税收滥用。该公司声称,2010年该公司在印度和撒哈拉以南非洲缴纳了大约2.5亿美元的企业税。行动救援组织还指责英国联合食品公司使用子公司在赞比亚减少了数百万美元的税收。英国联合食品公司表示,这些指责“至少是不完整的,与事实不符”。
Mark Littlewood is Director General of the Institute for Economic Affairs in London. He argues that tax havens help the global economy by increasing investment.
马克·李特尔伍德(Mark Littlewood)是伦敦经济事务研究所总监。他认为,避税天堂通过增加投资帮助全球经济。
"This idea that, sort of, Western companies that are tax efficient are exploiting these places rather than bringing inward investment to them, I think, is a rather neo-imperialist old style way of looking at the world. We want more of that inward investment. That creates jobs and creates growth in some of the poorest countries in the world."
他说,“这种观点有点像是说,节税的西方公司开拓这些地方不是给它们带去外来投资。我认为它是一种新帝国主义做派来着眼全球。我们希望更多的外来投资,这可以在世界上一些最贫穷的国家创造就业机会和提升增长。”
Leaders of the G8 countries meet in Britain next month. British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to include the issue of tax havens in their summit meeting.
八国集团国家领导人下月将在英国见面。英国首相戴维·卡梅伦(David Cameron)已经承诺在峰会上讨论避税天堂问题。