2015考研英语阅读英文原刊《经济学人》英国2011年的财政预算

　　2015考研英语复习正是强化复习阶段，考研英语阅读在考研英语中占了40分，所以考研英语阅读是英语科目中重要的一项。新东方名师范猛老师曾建议过考研生需要坚持每天泛读10-15分钟的英文原刊。强烈推荐了杂志《经济学人》杂志中的文章也是考研英语的主要材料来源.希望考研考生认真阅读，快速提高考研英语阅读水平。

　　This was not the radical reforming budget it hadbeen billed as. But its heart was in the right place

　　虽不如它所标榜的“激进的、革新的预算”，但其动机还是积极的。

　　“THIS is not a tax-raising budget. But nor can weafford a giveaway.” Thus George Osborne, thechancellor of the exchequer, drew the narrowparameters of his second budget on March 23rd.The broad sweep of the coalition government’s fiscalpolicy was set in Mr Osborne’s emergency budgetlast June, and in October’s four-year public-spendingreview. His task then was to fashion a deficit-reduction plan of tax increases and spending cutsto reassure bond markets of Britain’s creditworthiness. This time the chancellor wasrestricted to finding small pockets of extra revenue to finance modest but eye-catching taxbreaks or subsidies.

　　“这不是一个增税的计划，但我们也负担不起减税了。”在3月23日，现任英国财政大臣乔治奥斯本，提出了他的第二套财政紧缩预算。早在去年六月奥斯本的紧急减赤预案中，已经全面地回顾了联合政府的财政政策，并于十月核查了四年公共支出。奥斯本的任务是旨在减少赤字的加税和减少公共开支，以保证英国在债券市场的信用。这次财政大臣能做的事情有限，只能计划收入小笔预算外融资，但适度、却醒目地提出减税优惠或补贴。

　　At least he did not come back for more money from taxpayers and spending departments. Ninemonths in, the plan to eliminate the structural deficit during this parliament is broadly ontrack. Public-sector net borrowing will be ??146 billion ($237 billion) or 9.9% of GDP thisfinancial year, a few billion less than the Treasury estimated in June. The deficit in 2011-12 andbeyond will be a shade higher as a share of GDP than on previous forecasts, but not much.

　　至少他没有向纳税人和消费部门要更多的钱。在今后九个月中，本届国会将全面出击致力于消除结构性赤字。在这一财务年，政府公共净举债1460亿英镑(毛2370亿英镑)GDP增长达9.9%，比财政部6月预计略低。在2011-2012年度及以后，GDP中赤字占比将高于先前预测，但相去不远。

　　This higher path reflects a slower pace of economic recovery rather than any let-up in thechancellor’s zeal for fiscal austerity. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the fiscalwatchdog set up by Mr Osborne last year, has revised its forecast for this year’s GDP growthto 1.7% from 2.1% (the forecast for 2012 was nudged down to 2.5%). That change reflectsthe momentum lost in the 0.6% fall in GDP in the final quarter of 2010. The OBR reckons someof the drop in output will have been recovered during a sprightly first quarter in 2011 (itforecasts a 0.8% increase), though it has not revised up GDP growth in subsequent quarters.The OBR judges that the chancellor will meet his self-imposed fiscal targets.

　　这根赤字增加的扬线反映了经济复苏步伐放缓，但并不能说明财政大臣热衷于财政紧缩政策。奥斯本去年组建的预算责任办公室(OBR)履行着财政监督职责，其将今年的GDP增长从之前预测的2.1%，修订至1.7%(2012年预测微幅下调至2.5%)。这一变化反映了在2010年第4季度因增长乏力而使GDP降低0.6%。 OBR预测在11年第1季度将出现小幅攀升，预计为0.8%，但它并没有调整GDP在后几季度增长预期。OBR判断财政大臣将达成他制定的每一个财政年度目标。

　　With the big-picture stuff in place, Mr Osborne could administer a few small balms to theeconomy’s sorest spots. The costliest measure—and the one designed to capture theheadlines—was the suspension of planned real-term increases in fuel duties for the life of thecurrent parliament, together with an immediate one-penny per litre cut. That change will costthe Treasury ??1.9 billion in 2011-12, but will be more than paid for by an increased levy onNorth Sea oil producers, to capture the windfall gains from high crude prices. Mr Osbornejustified this transfer from producers to consumers by noting that other oil-producingcountries have tax systems that squeeze profits harder when oil prices are high. He said asustained fall in the oil price below, say, $75 a barrel would prompt a reversal in the balanceof taxation towards consumers.

　　正如图表显示，奥斯本的政策对英国经济阵痛点有些小疗效。其中最昂贵的一个举措、如同不少新闻头条报道的，他暂停了现有国会通过一项长期增加燃油税的决议，使汽油价格立竿见影地每公升跌了一便士。这项决定在2011-12年度将使英国财政额外支出19亿英镑，但向北欧石油生产商调高的增税预期会取得更多收益。奥斯本给生产商的理由是，其他石油生产国的税收制度，可以在原油涨价时调低利润值来保证油价，会从把利润从生产者向消费者转移。他说在下一个季度油价格将持续下跌，每桶75美元的原油价格将会进一步拉低单位油价，马上会使生产商和消费者之间的税收产生一个平衡。

　　Taxing the flush to help out the hard-pressed was atheme. The ??1 billion or so that will be raised bystopping businesses paying high earners in waysthat sidestep income tax will be used to increase thepersonal tax-free allowance next year by a further??630, to ??8,105, shielding more low-paid workersfrom tax. The revenue raised from an increase in thelevy on bank assets will be used to fund a ??250mscheme in which the government will take an equitystake alongside house builders in newly built homes.The aim of the scheme is to bridge the gap betweenwhat homebuyers can offer as a deposit and what mortgage-lenders demand. Billed as supportfor first-time buyers, it is likely to help the depressed construction industry more.

　　拆东补西是此预算方案改革的主旋律。在预案中奥斯本将宣布一系列打击高收入者避税行为的措施，可能每年为政府带来10亿英镑的额外收入，此收入将在下一年用来进一步调高个税起征点630英镑，使起征额达到8105英镑，这将保护低收入人群，增加其净收入。政府将在建筑商新建住宅中提取一定所有权，以此向银行收取资产税，预计可收入2.5亿英镑，以此补贴首次购买新建住房者的贷款优惠，将严格区分出首次买房者的抵押需求和按揭贷款的需求。此政策支持首次置业者，并很可能帮助改善建筑业不景气的局面。

　　This sort of mild populism is mostly harmless—and understandable given the scale of thepre-announced spending cuts and tax increases that begin next month. But Mr Osborne hadbigger ambitions for his package of measures. “Today’s budget is about reforming the nation’seconomy,” he declared. “Britain has lost ground in the world economy and needs to catch up.”

　　这种温和的政策大部分是无害，会前宣布的削减开支规模以及宣布下月实施的增加税收方案亦是被公众所接受的。但奥斯本先生对整套措施信誓旦旦 “今天的预算案是为了改革国家的经济体制。”他宣称 “英国已经失去了在世界经济中的应有地位，我们必须要迎头赶上。”

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