WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Strongly Urges Passage of the Framework Agreement on Middle Class Tax Cuts
每周电视讲话：奥巴马总统强烈敦促国会通过关于对中产阶级减税的框架协议
WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, President Obama strongly urged both houses of Congress to pass the framework agreement on middle class tax cuts. This is a good deal for the American people, and they are counting on Washington to get this done. A failure to do so would not only result in tax hikes on middle class families and a loss of unemployment insurance for those hardest hit by this recession, but it would also risk weakening our economic recovery.
华盛顿：在本周的讲话中，奥巴马总统强烈敦促国会参众两院通过关于对中产阶级减税的框架协议。对于美国人民来说这是一件好事情，而且他们也一直期盼着华盛顿将此事落到实处。若该协议不能获得通过不仅会导致中产家庭的缴税上涨以及在本次经济衰退中遭受沉重打击的人们的失业保险的损失，而且还将使我们经济复苏进程冒险受损。
Right now, there’s a big debate taking place in Washington that will affect how much you pay in taxes next year. If Congress doesn’t act, tax rates will automatically go up for just about everyone in our country. Typical middle class families would end up paying an extra $3,000.
此时此刻，华盛顿正在进行一场大规模的辩论，它将影响明年你们会缴纳多少税额。如果国会不采取行动，我国每个人都将毫无疑问的面临税率上涨。普通中产家庭将最终要多缴税3,000美元。
That’s unacceptable to me. Not when we know that it’s the middle class that was hit the hardest by the recession. And not when we know that taking this money out of the pockets of working people is exactly the wrong thing to do to get our economy growing faster. Economists tell us that this tax hike on working families could actually cost us well over a million jobs.
我无法接受这样的结果。我们知道中产阶级在本次衰退中遭受的打击最为严重，从工薪阶层的口袋里掏这部分钱来加速经济增长是完全错误的事情，这不是加税的时候。经济学家们告诉我们针对工薪家庭的赋税增加将使我们损失超过100万个工作岗位。
That’s why I’ve been fighting so hard to cut middle class taxes. And that’s why I brought both Democrats and Republicans to the table – to put together a compromise, and work through our differences, so we could get this done.
我一直以来努力为中产阶级减税，原因就在于此。而且我让民主党人和共和党人坐到谈判桌前，相互让步，消除分歧，并达成一致解决问题，原因也在于此。
Now, the Republicans in Congress strongly favored permanent tax breaks for the wealthiest taxpayers and the wealthiest estates, most of which would go to millionaires and even billionaires. But I didn’t believe that these tax cuts were worth the cost. They’d add to our deficits without really boosting the economy.
然而现在，国会的共和党人却更加热衷于为最富有的纳税人和最富有的不动产拥有人提供永久的税收优惠，而他们的大多数是百万富翁甚至是亿万富翁。而我认为这部分税收减免并不值得。这样会增加我们的财政赤字而不会为提振经济带来任何实质的推动力。
I believed that the best way to help the economy, and working families, was to keep middle class tax rates low, and cut taxes for working parents, college students, and small businesses. And I believed that with millions of people looking for jobs, it would be a terrible mistake to end unemployment insurance – not only for people who are out of work, but for our entire economy.
我认为帮助经济复苏和工薪家庭的最好途径就是保持对中产阶级的低税率，以及为工薪父母，大学生和中小企业减税。而且我认为在当下还有数百万人还在寻找工作的时候，如果终止失业保险将是一个极为严重的错误——不仅仅对失业的人们是这样，对我们整个经济也是如此。
So we hammered out a deal that reflects ideas from both sides. It wasn’t easy, and it’s by no means perfect. And as with any compromise, everybody had to live with elements they didn’t like. But this is a good deal for the American people. The vast majority of the tax cuts in this plan will help the middle class, including a new cut in payroll taxes that will save the average family about $1,000. And as this plan is debated in Congress, what I want to make clear is the real difference it will make in people’s lives.
因此我们敲定了一项反映两党共同意见的协议。这项协议来之不易，但并不完美。如同任何的折衷方案一样，每个人都需要接受一些他们并不喜欢的东西。但这对于美国人民来说却是一件好事。这项计划的绝大多数减税政策都对中产阶级有利，包括新的工薪税削减计划，将为每个家庭节约1,000美元。由于该项计划还在国会讨论，我想说明的是它将为人们的生活带来实实在在的影响。
It’s going to make a difference for a single mom with two kids in Ohio working as a cashier. With this plan, she’d get a new payroll tax cut and a bigger child tax credit together worth more than $2,300.
它将影响到俄亥俄州当收银员并抚养两个孩子的单身妈妈。有了这项计划，她将获得新的工薪税减免以及更多的儿童税收抵免，总额将超过2,300美元。
It’s going to make a difference for a couple in Florida earning about $50,000 and trying to put one of their two kids through college. They’d save more than $4,000 because of the middle class tax cuts – including a $2,500 tax credit to go toward college tuition.
它将影响到佛罗里达州收入在5万美元左右的夫妇，他们要为两个儿女之中的一个支付大学学费。有了中产阶级减税政策，他们将节省4,000美元——包括用于大学学费的2,500美元的税收抵免。
And it’s going to make an enormous difference for people looking for jobs. For many of these families, emergency unemployment insurance is the last line of defense between hardship and catastrophe. And I’d point out, if these folks stop spending money, it will also hurt businesses, which will hurt hiring, which will damage our recovery.
他还将对寻找工作的人们产生极大的影响。对于这些家庭来讲，紧急失业保险是保障他们面临的困难不会变成灾难最后防线。而且我要说明的是，如果这些人停止支出，将不仅损害企业，还将损害就业，这将对我们的经济产生不利影响。
So this plan is going to help millions of families to make ends meet, through tax cuts and unemployment insurance for people who’ve lost their jobs by no fault of their own. And we included tax relief for businesses, too – making it easier for them to invest and expand. All told, this will not only directly help families and businesses. By putting more money in people’s pockets, and helping companies grow, we’re going to see people being able to spend a little more, we’re going to spur hiring – we’re going to strengthen our entire economy.
因此，利用减税和对非自身原因而失业的人们的失业保险，这项计划将帮助数百万家庭实现收支平衡。而且我们也加入了减轻企业税收负担的政策——让企业可以更好的投资和扩大规模。总之，这项计划不仅仅会直接帮助家庭和企业。通过让更多的钱流入人们的腰包，帮助公司增长，我们将会看到人们可以花的多一点，我们将能刺激就业——我们将能巩固我们整个经济。
Now, I recognize that many of my friends in my own party are uncomfortable with some of what’s in this agreement, in particular the temporary tax cuts for the wealthy. And I share their concerns. I don't like those tax cuts either. It’s clear that over the long run, if we’re serious about balancing the budget, we cannot afford to continue these tax breaks for the wealthiest taxpayers – especially when we know that cutting the deficit is going to demand sacrifice from everyone. That’s the reality.
现在，我注意到我的一些党内朋友对这项协议的部分内容感到很不舒服，尤其是对富人的临时减税政策。我与他们一样感到忧虑。而且我也不喜欢这样的减税政策。很明显，在长时间的拉锯战之后，如果我们严肃对待平衡预算的问题，我们就不能承受继续为这些最富有的纳税人提供税收优惠的政策——尤其是当我们知道削减赤字需要每个人都做出牺牲的时候。现实就是如此。
But at the same time, we cannot allow the middle class in this country to be caught in the political crossfire of Washington. People want us to find solutions, not score points. And I will not allow middle class families to be treated like pawns on a chessboard.
但同时，我们也不能让全国的中产阶级成为华盛顿政治交火的牺牲品。人民需要我们找到办法而不是漂亮的政治说辞。而我也不允许将中产阶级家庭当成棋盘上的走卒来对待。
The opportunity for families to send their kids to college hinges on this debate. The ability of parents to put food on the table while looking for a job depends on this debate. And our recovery will be strengthened or weakened based on the choice that now rests with Congress.
一个家庭能否有机会将他们的孩子送进大学取决于这场辩论。父母能否在找工作的时候还有能力将食物摆到餐桌上也取决于这场辩论。而我们的复苏到底是会得到巩固还是破坏也将取决于现在国会的抉择。
So I strongly urge members of both parties to pass this plan. And I’m confident that they will do the right thing, strengthening the middle class and our economic recovery.
因此，我强烈敦促两党的议员通过这项计划。而且我也满怀信心，他们将做出正确的选择，巩固中产阶级地位并巩固我们经济复苏的进程。
Thank you.
谢谢大家。 |