修缮白金汉宫将花费3.69亿英镑 民众请愿让王室自掏腰包

 　　近日，英国民众发起了一项请愿活动，强烈要求由英国王室自行承担修缮白金汉宫的费用。截至目前，已有超过10万人在请愿书上签字。英国财政部18日宣布，为支付白金汉宫3.69亿英镑（约合31.7亿元人民币）的修缮费用，英国政府每年为王室提供的“君主拨款”将提高66%，为期10年。

　　More than 100,000 sign petition calling for The Queen to pay for 369million repairs of Buckingham Palace.

　　10万多英国民众在请愿书上签名，要求女王为白金汉宫支付3.69亿英镑的修缮费。

　　The petition was started after it was announced on Friday that the taxpayer¹ would be funding a 369 million 10-year refurbishing project.

　　上周五，英国政府宣布纳税人需为白金汉宫十年的修缮工程费3.69亿英镑买单后，民众开始请愿。

　　修缮白金汉宫将花费3.69亿英镑 民众请愿让王室自掏腰包

　　Critics immediately pointed² out that public money was also crucially needed elsewhere, such as in schools and hospitals.

　　反对者立刻指出学校和医院等许多地方都急需公共资金的支持。

　　The 38 Degrees petition, started by Mark Johnson, said: "There is a national housing crisis, the NHS is in crisis, austerity is forcing cuts in many front line services. Now the Royals expect us to dig deeper to refurbish Buckingham Palace."

　　马克? 约翰逊在网站“38度”上发起了这次运动。他说：“目前，全国范围内都存在着住房危机，英国国民健康保险制度也遭遇困境，财政紧缩迫使许多一线公共服务被削减。现在王室为修缮白金汉宫企图让我们付出更多。”

　　Labours shadow business secretary Clive Lewis told ITVs Peston Show that there were lots of priorities out there and he wouldn't place Buckingham Palace as the highest.

　　在做客英国独立电视台的佩斯顿秀时，工党影子内阁商务大臣克莱夫?刘易斯表示，政府有很多更重要的工作，他不可能把修缮白金汉宫当作头等大事。

　　He added: "I think the Queen could contribute quite a bit towards that - she's one of the wealthiest people in the country. Why not?"

　　他继续说道：“我认为女王可以拿出一大笔钱来整修白金汉宫，为什么不呢？她可是英国最富有的人之一。”

　　Asked on the Marr Show if the Royals should pay, Labour's shadow chancellor³ John McDonnell said: "Well, I think that's for them to consider. I think we'd welcome it. "He went on: "It's a public monument, a heritage building - so we have to invest in it to preserve it."

　　有人在马尔秀上向工党影子内阁财政大臣翰?麦科唐纳尔提问：王室是否应该自掏腰包整修白金汉宫？他回答说：“嗯...王室的确应该考虑这个问题。民众会很乐意由王室来出这笔钱的。白金汉宫是属于英国民众的历史古迹，是我们大家的遗产，所以我们必须出资保护它。”

　　"If the Queen and the royal family want to consider a contribution I certainly wouldn't send the cheque back."

　　“如果女王和其他王室成员都愿意捐款的话，我当然不会把支票退给他们。”

　　"It does show though that when we need the money for buildings and maintenance we can afford it."

　　“但是这确实表明，如果我们真的需要出资整修白金汉宫，钱并不是问题。”

　　As well as receiving the annual Sovereign Grant from taxpayers⁴, The Queen also pockets annual net profits from the Duchy of Lancasters Estate in her role as Sovereign, which next April will be 17.8 million.

　　女王除了每年从纳税人手中拿到君王拨款外，还可以凭借她的君主地位，轻轻松松从兰开斯特公国的地产经营净利润中分一杯羹。到明年4月，这笔收入将达1780万英镑。

　　She also has personal wealth which she is not required to disclose.

　　同时她还有私房钱，法律并不要求她公开这些私人资产。

　　In 2014 the Public Accounts Committee criticised the Royal Household for mismanaging its finances and said it could to do more to generate more income and reduce its costs further.

　　2014年，政府账目委员会批评王室理财不善，称王室没有为“进一步开源节流”竭尽全力。

　　One suggestion to fund improvements was to open the palace more to the paying public.

　　有人提议，进一步开放白金汉宫吸引游客，门票费可用于整修白金汉宫。

　　However, it has fallen into a state of disrepair and a report has found major works are now necessary.

　　但是，白金汉宫现已破败不堪。有报告显示，白金汉宫需要大力整修。

1 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

4 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。