文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）
作者：Rupert Neate
原文标题：2% tax on UK rich list families ‘could raise £22bn a year’
原文发布时间：30 May 2023
2% tax on UK rich list families 'could raise £22bn a year'
A modest wealth tax on the richest 350 families in the UK could raise more than £20bn a year – enough to fund the construction of 145,000 new affordable homes a year – according to research by fairer taxation campaigners. A 2% tax on assets above £10m held by all members of the Sunday Times rich list could raise as much as £22bn, according to analysis by Tax Justice UK, the Economic Change Unit and the New Economics Foundation (NEF).
The campaigners said similar wealth taxes in Norway, Spain and Switzerland had helped to reduce inequality and eased the cost of living crisis for some of the poorest people in those countries. They called on the government to carry out urgent reform of the "fundamental unfairness in the tax system which means that income from work is taxed more than income from investments, rent and inheritances". Lukasz Krebel, economist at NEF thinktank, said: "This year's rich list shows that at a time when so many of us are struggling with the cost of living, the very wealthiest in society continue to thrive.
"Yet this elite group aren't taxed as much as those of us who earn our living, leaving us with less money to invest in hospitals, schools and parks. We can share the wealth that we all create by increasing taxes on the very rich. By doing this, we can repair our public services, power our future with locally made energy from the wind and sun, and create jobs and thriving neighbourhoods for all of our families." The richest 250 families in the UK are sitting on combined wealth of £748bn, according to the annual Sunday Times rich list published last week, an increase from £704bn the previous year.
对英国富豪家庭征收2%的税“每年可筹集220亿英镑”
精听党背景导读
富人税是指政府向高收入人群加收个人所得税。2009年美国纽约州开始实施以平衡预算赤字。2012年10月，法国政府考虑在2013年开始征收75%的富人税。2013年初，法国总统奥朗德提出的旨在调节社会贫富不均、缩小收入差距的财政改革方案获得通过。2013年至2014年间，法国政府向年收入超过100万欧元的企业员工征收50%的税款。但由于该征税方案收效甚微，法国自2015年2月1日起正式取消了实行两年的"富人税"。
文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）作者：Rupert Neate原文标题：2% tax on UK rich list families ‘could raise £22bn a year’原文发布时间：30 May 2023关键词：富人 税收 公平
精听党带着问题听
1. 税收体系中的基本不公平是什么？2. “茁壮成长”用英语可以怎么表达？3. 如何理解段三中的“sit on”？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
2% tax on UK rich list families ‘could raise £22bn a year’
对英国富豪家庭征收2%的税“每年可筹集220亿英镑”
rich list 富豪榜；
raise vt. 增加，提高（数量、水平等）；筹集，筹募；召集，征募（尤指士兵）；1. events held to raise money for flood victims 为水患灾民募捐而举行的活动；2. They raised the money to buy the house and two hundred acres of land. 他们筹措了资金来购买房子和200英亩土地。
段一
A modest wealth tax on the richest 350 families in the UK could raise more than £20bn a year – enough to fund the construction of 145,000 new affordable homes a year – according to research by fairer taxation campaigners. A 2% tax on assets above £10m held by all members of the Sunday Times rich list could raise as much as £22bn, according to analysis by Tax Justice UK, the Economic Change Unit and the New Economics Foundation (NEF).
modest adj. 不太多的，适中的；谦虚的，谦逊的；1. She is a modest person who doesn't like to boast about her accomplishments. 她是一个谦虚的人，不喜欢吹嘘她的成就。2. Despite his success, he leads a modest lifestyle and avoids extravagance. 尽管取得了成功，他过着适度的生活方式，避免奢华。
fund vt. 资助，提供资金；1. The government funds educational programs to improve access to quality education. 政府资助教育项目，提高优质教育的可及性。2. The foundation funded the research project that aims to find a cure for the disease. 该基金会资助了旨在找到治愈该疾病的研究项目。
affordable adj. 便宜的，付得起的；1. the availability of affordable housing 多数人支付得起的房产的供应；
taxation n. 税收；1. The government introduced new tax policies to streamline taxation and promote economic growth. 政府推出了新的税收政策，以简化税收程序并促进经济增长。2. Taxation is an essential source of revenue for funding public services and infrastructure development. 税收是资助公共服务和基础设施发展的重要收入来源。
campaigner n. 活动人士，倡导者；1. The campaigners organized a protest to raise awareness about environmental issues. 活动人士组织了一次抗议活动，以提高人们对环境问题的认识。
asset n. 有利条件，有价值的人或物；资产，财产；1. asset management 资产管理；2. By the end of 1989 the group had assets of $3.5 billion. 到1989年底该集团已有35亿美元的资产。
as much as 尽可能多地；（引导从句）尽管；1. As much as I love chocolate, I try to limit my consumption for health reasons. 尽管我很喜欢巧克力，但出于健康原因，我尽量限制食用。
参考译文
根据公平税收运动的研究，对英国最富有的350个家庭征收适度的财富税每年可能筹集超过200亿英镑，足以用于建造14.5万个新的可负担得起的房屋。根据Tax Justice UK、经济变革组织和新经济基金会（NEF）的分析，对《星期日泰晤士报》富豪榜上所有资产超过1000万英镑的成员征收2%的税款可能筹集多达220亿英镑。
段二
The campaigners said similar wealth taxes in Norway, Spain and Switzerland had helped to reduce inequality and eased the cost of living crisis for some of the poorest people in those countries. They called on the government to carry out urgent reform of the “fundamental unfairness in the tax system which means that income from work is taxed more than income from investments, rent and inheritances”. Lukasz Krebel, economist at NEF thinktank, said: “This year’s rich list shows that at a time when so many of us are struggling with the cost of living, the very wealthiest in society continue to thrive.
ease vt. 缓解，减轻；1. Yoga and meditation can help ease stress and promote relaxation. 瑜伽和冥想可以帮助缓解压力，促进放松。2. He took a painkiller to ease the headache. 他服了止痛药以缓解头痛。
call on 呼吁，号召；1. The organization called on the government to take immediate action on climate change. 该组织呼吁政府立即采取行动应对气候变化。2. The teacher called on the students to answer the question. 老师要求学生回答问题。
carry out 执行，实施；
urgent adj. 紧急的，急迫的；急切的，催促的；
inheritance n. 继承物，遗产；1. He received a large inheritance from his grandparents. 他从祖父母那里继承了一大笔遗产。
thrive vi. 茁壮成长；兴旺，繁荣；1. The company thrived and expanded its operations globally. 该公司蓬勃发展，并在全球扩大了业务。2. The flowers thrived in the rich soil and sunny climate. 这些花朵在肥沃的土壤和阳光明媚的气候中茁壮成长。
参考译文
这些运动倡导者表示，挪威、西班牙和瑞士等国类似的财富税有助于减少不平等，并减轻了这些国家最贫困人口的生活成本危机。他们呼吁政府对“税收体系中的基本不公平”进行紧急改革，该不公平意味着从工作中获得的收入比从投资、租金和遗产中获得的收入更多地被征税。新经济基金会（NEF）智库的经济学家Lukasz Krebel表示：“今年的富豪榜显示，在我们中许多人正面临生活成本的困扰之际，社会上最富有的人继续蓬勃发展。
段三
“Yet this elite group aren’t taxed as much as those of us who earn our living, leaving us with less money to invest in hospitals, schools and parks. We can share the wealth that we all create by increasing taxes on the very rich. By doing this, we can repair our public services, power our future with locally made energy from the wind and sun, and create jobs and thriving neighbourhoods for all of our families.” The richest 250 families in the UK are sitting on combined wealth of £748bn, according to the annual Sunday Times rich list published last week, an increase from £704bn the previous year.
elite n. 精英，上层阶级；1. The country club is exclusive to the elite members of society. 这个乡村俱乐部只对社会上层的精英会员开放。
power vt. 驱动，推动（机器或车辆）；促进，推动；为…提供动力；
sit on 保留，推迟；坐拥；1. The board decided to sit on the proposal until they had more information. 董事会决定推迟对该提案的处理，直到他们获得更多信息。
combined wealth 综合财富；1. The combined wealth of the billionaires is staggering. 亿万富翁们的综合财富令人惊叹。2. The company's success is reflected in its combined wealth of its shareholders. 公司的成功体现在股东们的综合财富中。
参考译文
“然而，这个精英群体纳税的金额并不像那些靠工作谋生的人那样多，这让我们在医院、学校和公园方面的投资变得更少。通过增加对最富有者的税收，我们可以分享我们共同创造的财富。通过这样做，我们可以恢复我们的公共服务，利用风能和太阳能为我们的未来提供本地产能，为我们所有家庭创造就业和繁荣的社区。”根据上周发布的年度《星期日泰晤士报》富豪榜，英国最富有的250个家庭总财富达到7480亿英镑，较前一年的7040亿英镑有所增加。
精听党每日单词
rich list
富豪榜；
raise
/reɪz/ vt. 增加，提高（数量、水平等）；筹集，筹募；召集，征募（尤指士兵）；
modest
/ˈmɑːdɪst/ adj. 不太多的，适中的；谦虚的，谦逊的；
fund
/fʌnd/ vt. 资助，提供资金；
affordable
/əˈfɔːrdəb(ə)l/ adj. 便宜的，付得起的；
taxation
/tækˈseɪʃn/ n. 税收；
campaigner
/kæmˈpeɪnər/ n. 活动人士，倡导者；
asset
/ˈæset/ n. 有利条件，有价值的人或物；资产，财产；
as much as
尽可能多地；（引导从句）尽管；
ease
/iːz/ vt. 缓解，减轻；
call on
呼吁，号召；
carry out
执行，实施；
urgent
/ˈɜːrdʒənt/ adj. 紧急的，急迫的；急切的，催促的；
inheritance
/ɪnˈherɪtəns/ n. 继承物，遗产；
thrive
/θraɪv/ vi. 茁壮成长；兴旺，繁荣；
elite
/ɪˈliːt/ n. 精英，上层阶级；
power
/ˈpaʊər/ vt. 驱动，推动（机器或车辆）；促进，推动；为…提供动力；
sit on
保留，推迟；坐拥；
combined wealth
综合财富；
精听党文化拓展
根据挪威中左翼联合政府制定的新税率，这些超级富豪在国家和地方一级都要缴纳巨额的财产税。去年11月，政府对资产超过2000万挪威克朗（约合人民币1300万元）的个人或资产超过4000万挪威克朗的夫妻征收0.4%的国家级税率，再加上0.7%的地方一级税率，对于有钱人来说财产税税率达到了1.1%。
为了逃避高税收，创纪录数量的超级富豪离开挪威前往低税收国家。根据挪威财经媒体统计，过去一年有超过30名超级富翁离开了挪威，超过了过去13年离开该国的富豪总数。按照目前趋势，预计到2023年底会有更多的富豪离开，政府每年因此将损失数千万克朗的税收收入。
许多“逃离”的挪威人搬到税收低得多的瑞士，这些人甚至在当地形成了小社区。厄兰德·科尔斯塔德是一位零售地产和鲑鱼养殖行业的投资者，拥有约15亿挪威克朗（约合人民币9.8亿元）的财富，已从挪威北部的博德搬到瑞士的卢塞恩。科尔斯塔德告诉挪威媒体，当他第一次到达瑞士时，在那里没有任何朋友。“但现在我们有几个挪威人都在这边，所以我们会时不时地碰面喝杯咖啡。”
“离开挪威不是我想要的，但现任政府的财政紧缩和增加税收意味着我别无选择。”科尔斯塔德表示，新的税法意味着他将支付超过600万挪威克朗的财产税，考虑到资本收益也将被征税，他需要支付1000万挪威克朗的股息税。
精听党每日美句
Lost the truth, at the same time also lost the beauty.
失去了真，同时也失去了美。