经济学人311:美国的公司税 如何阻止歪曲的误解

 　　Corporate¹ tax in America

　　美国的公司税

　　How to stop the inversion² perversion³

　　如何阻止歪曲的误解

　　Restricting companies from moving abroad is no substitute for corporate-tax reform

　　限制公司出境并不能成为公司税改革的替代品

　　ECONOMIC refugees have traditionally lined up to get into America. Lately, they have been lining⁴ up to leave. In the past few months, half a dozen biggish companies have announced plans to merge⁵ with foreign partners and in the process move their corporate homes abroad. The motive⁶ is simple: corporate taxes are lower in Ireland, Britain and, for that matter, almost everywhere else than they are in America.

　　经济难民历来都是排着队进美国的。然而 最近他们却开始排队离开。在过去的几个月里，许多较大的公司已经宣布计划与外国合作伙伴合并，并在这个过程中把他们的企业转移到国外。它们的动机很简单：从企业税的角度考虑，不管是爱尔兰、英国还是机会其他的任何国家都比美国的要低。

　　In Washington, DC, policymakers have reacted with indignation. Jack⁷ Lew, the treasury⁸ secretary, has questioned the companies'patriotism and called on Congress to outlaw⁹ such transactions. His fellow Democrats¹⁰ are eager to oblige, and some Republicans are willing to listen.

　　在华盛顿特区，政策制定者们表现的愤懑不已。财政部长杰克·卢表示质疑这些公司是否爱国并呼吁国会取缔此类交易。他的民主党同僚们也表示认同，而一些共和党人也原意听取意见。

　　The proposals are misguided. Tightening¹¹ the rules on corporate “inversions¹²”, as these moves are called, does nothing to deal with the reason why so many firms want to leave: America has the rich world's most dysfunctional corporate-tax system. It needs fundamental reform, not new complications.

　　这些提议有着误导性。加强对企业的这些所谓的“转位”规则，却不能解释为什么这么多的企业想要离开：在富裕国家里，美国拥有最不正常的企业税制。它需要的是根本性的改革，而不是新的并发症。

　　America's corporate tax has two horrible flaws. The first is the tax rate, which at 35% is the highest among the 34 mostly rich-country members of the OECD. Yet it raises less revenue than the OECD average thanks to myriad¹³ loopholes and tax breaks aimed at everything from machinery¹⁴ investment to NASCAR race tracks. Last year these breaks cost $150 billion in forgone¹⁵ revenue, more than half of what America collected in total corporate taxes.

　　美国的企业税有两个可怕的漏洞。首先是税率，35％的税率是经合组织34个最富裕成员国中最高的。然而，它的收益却比经合组织的平均水平要低，这是由无数准备投入到 NASCAR赛道机械投资带来的漏洞和税收减免造成的。在去年损失的收入中，减免的税收就占了1500亿美元，超过美国征得的公司税总额的一半。

　　美国的公司税.jpg

　　The second flaw is that America levies¹⁶ tax on a company's income no matter where in the world it is earned. In contrast, every other large rich country taxes only income earned within its borders. Here, too, America's system is absurdly ineffective at collecting money. Firms do not have to pay tax on foreign profits until they bring them back home. Not surprisingly, many do not: American multinationals¹⁷ have some $2 trillion sitting on their foreign units'balance-sheets, and growing.

　　第二个漏洞就是不管公司在哪里获得的收入，美国都会对它征税。相反，在其它任意一个发达国家，只会对公司在境内获得的收入征税。在这方面，美国的制度对征集税费所取得的效果甚微。只有当公司把境外收益带回国内时，它们才不得不交税。毫不奇怪，很多公司都没有交税：美国跨国公司把2万亿美元的资产都划到它们国外公司的资产负债表中，而且越来越多。

　　All this imposes big costs on the economy. The high rate discourages investment and loopholes distort it, because decisions are driven by tax considerations rather than a project's economic merits. The tax rate companies actually pay varies wildly, depending on their type of business and the creativity of their lawyers: some pay close to zero, others the full 35%.

　　所有这些都会加大经济成本。由于作出的决定是从税收角度出发，而非一个项目的经济利益角度，高税率和税率漏洞都不利于投资。公司被征得的税率取决于它们的业务种类和律师的创造力：一些几乎不需交税，而有些则高达35%。

　　Twenty years ago inversions were rare. But as other countries chopped their rates and America's stayed the same, the incentive¹⁸ to flee grew. Until a decade ago Bermuda and other tax havens¹⁹ were the destination of choice, until Congress banned inversions where less than 20% of the company changed hands. Democrats have proposed expanding that prohibition²⁰ to any transaction where less than 50% of the company changes hands—so an American company that bought a smaller foreign firm could not reincorporate abroad if its original shareholders²¹ remained in charge. Such a ban would be at best a temporary palliative. An American company paying higher taxes than its foreign competitors has a powerful incentive to find a way around the rules. Consultants²² are already coming up with dodges²³ in case this proposal becomes law.

　　由于二十年前，税收倒置不常见。但是随着其它国家削减它们的税收，美国保持不变，越来越多的公司逃税。直到十天前，百慕达等避税天堂成为首选的目的地，直到国会取消少于公司现金转手20%的税收倒置。民主党提议，将禁止公司现金转手扩大到少于50%—所以一个收购了国外小公司的美国公司，如果原股东仍对公司负责，那么该公司不能在国外重新组合。这种禁令暂时是很好的，但是却不能治本。一个比国外竞争者要上缴更多税收的美国公司，有更大的动力去发现身边的规则。如果这个建议变成法律条文，顾问已经想出了逃避的方法。

　　Home, sweeter home

　　家，更甜蜜的家

　　The real solution is to lower the corporate rate, eliminate tax breaks and move America from a worldwide system to a territorial²⁴ one. Barack Obama has proposed a reform that cuts the rate to 28% but keeps the worldwide reach. Dave Camp, a Republican congressman²⁵, has plumped for 25%, the OECD average, and a shift to a territorial system, instead.

　　真正的解决办法是降低企业税率，取消税收减免，将美国从一个世界范围的体系转移到局部地区。奥巴马提议将税率降低到28，但要在全球范围进行改革。相反，共和党国会议员大卫·卡普坚决支持25％，达到经合组织的平均水平，并转移到一个局部系统。

　　It should be possible to bridge the differences. But both sides have tied the subject to other issues. Mr Obama insists that corporate-tax reform must also raise more money to spend on things like public infrastructure²⁶, which the Republicans oppose; they, in turn, want to package it with cuts in personal tax rates, which Mr Obama is loth to accept. Thus, nothing happens.

　　它应该可以弥补差异。但是双方都将这一主题牵涉到其它问题上。奥巴马坚持认为，企业税改革也必须筹集更多的钱用在类的东西的公共基础设施，其中共和党人反对; 反过来，他们，想把它用在个人所得税税率削减包，奥巴马却很不情愿接受。因此，没有取得进展。

　　The two sides should drop their conditions and hammer out a stand-alone corporate-tax reform that reduces the rate and broadens the base. Until then, expect the line-up of corporate migrants to grow.

　　双方应放弃他们的条件，并制定出一个独立的法人税改革，降低税率，扩大基地。在此之前，期待企业移民的快速增长。

　　1.get into 进入；卷入

　　例句:I want you to get into a whole new state of mind.

　　我想让你有一个全新的心态。

　　2.plan to 打算；计划

　　例句:Both chambers²⁷ plan to vote on that policy before January 15th.

　　两院都打算在1月15日前对那一政策进行投票表决。

　　3.call on 拜访；号召；访问；呼吁

　　例句:Why should they get first call on the best property?

　　凭什么最好的房产尽着他们先挑？

　　4.deal with 处理；对付；应付

　　例句:Overcrowding has taxed the city's ability to deal with waste.

　　人口过多使得城市的垃圾处理能力达到了极限。

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 inversion   

n.反向，倒转，倒置

参考例句：

• But sometimes there is an unusual weather condition called a temperature inversion.但有时会有一种被称作“温度逆增”的不平常的天气状态。
• And finally,we made a discussion on the problems in the cooperative inversion.最后，对联合反演中存在的问题进行了讨论。

3 perversion   

n.曲解；堕落；反常

参考例句：

• In its most general sense,corruption means the perversion or abandonment.就其最一般的意义上说，舞弊就是堕落，就是背离准则。
• Her account was a perversion of the truth.她所讲的歪曲了事实。

4 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

5 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

6 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

12 inversions   

倒置( inversion的名词复数 )； （尤指词序）倒装； 转化； （染色体的）倒位

参考例句：

• Chromosome breaks may also lead to inversions and translocations. 染色体破裂也可能引起倒位与易位。
• The males suspected to have induced inversions were later used to build up stocks. 疑有诱发倒位的雄性然后用于建立原种。

13 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

14 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

15 forgone   

v.没有也行，放弃( forgo的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Tax expenditures are the revenues forgone due to preferential tax treatment. 税收支出是由于税收优惠待遇而放弃的收入。 来自互联网
• The alternative forgone is called the opportunity cost. 这种选择性的放弃就叫做机会成本。 来自互联网

16 levies   

（部队）征兵( levy的名词复数 )； 募捐； 被征募的军队

参考例句：

• At that time, taxes and levies were as many as the hairs on an ox. 那时，苛捐杂税多如牛毛。
• Variable levies can insulate farmers and consumers from world markets. 差价进口税可以把农民和消费者与世界市场隔离开来。

17 multinationals   

跨国公司( multinational的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These local companies are only small fry compared with the huge multinationals. 同那些跨国公司比，这些当地的公司不过是小鱼小虾。
• Some people believe that the multinationals have too much power. 有人认为跨国公司的权力太大了。

18 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

19 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

20 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

21 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

22 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

23 dodges   

n.闪躲( dodge的名词复数 )；躲避；伎俩；妙计v.闪躲( dodge的第三人称单数 )；回避

参考例句：

• He tried all sorts of dodges to avoid being called up. 他挖空心思，耍弄各种花招以逃避被征召入伍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Those were the dodges he used to escape taxation. 那些是他用以逃税的诡计。 来自辞典例句

24 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

25 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

26 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

27 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网