美国国家公共电台 NPR Activists Plan 'Tax Day' Marches Calling For Release Of Trump's Taxes

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

All right. So we are getting closer and closer to Tax Day. Sorry to break that to you. And Democrats¹ on Capitol Hill are seeming more and more determined² to get President Trump³ to release his tax returns. NPR's Peter Overby reports on some of the strategies these lawmakers are pursuing.

PETER OVERBY, BYLINE⁴: All the presidents since Gerald Ford⁵ have volunteered to show the public their tax returns - all of them except Donald Trump. He said emphatically that he really wants to do it. This is from a Republican primary debate in February 2016.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Let me just tell you something. I want to release my tax returns, but I can't release it while I'm under an audit⁶. We're under a routine audit. I've had it - for years, I get audited⁷. And obviously, if I'm being audited, I'm not going to release a return. As soon as the audit is done, I love it.

OVERBY: So here's a way around the audit problem. The president can disclose his new return at the same time he files it before the IRS can start an audit. Democrats have been pounding on the tax return issue.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BILL PASCRELL: What is he hiding?

OVERBY: That's Bill Pascrell, a Democratic congressman⁸ from Paterson, N.J. Democrats on Capitol Hill have different strategies to force Trump's tax returns into the spotlight⁹. Pascrell tried last week. His committee chairman, Texas Republican Kevin Brady, wasn't having it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KEVIN BRADY: A clear invasion of privacy.

OVERBY: Pascrell's resolution went down on a party-line vote. Reporters asked about Trump's 2016 tax filing at Friday's White House press briefing. Spokesman Sean Spicer sidestepped the question and provided no clear answer. There are two reasons presidents should let the public see their tax returns. Philip Hackney, a former IRS lawyer who now teaches tax law, says there's a higher purpose.

PHILIP HACKNEY: I think it works more towards an open society that I think is important to democracy.

OVERBY: With Trump, Hackney sees a more pragmatic consideration, too.

HACKNEY: I've never seen a situation where we have someone with the conflicts of interest that he has.

OVERBY: And if the returns were made public, Trump's finances would be clearer.

HACKNEY: Both domestically but also internationally.

OVERBY: Speaking of domestic and international, there are anti-Trump tax marches scheduled on Saturday the 15.

DELVONE MICHAEL: Upwards¹⁰ of 80 marches around the nation and four marches in Germany, the U.K., Japan and in New Zealand.

OVERBY: That was Delvone Michael, one of the organizers. He and his fellow marchers will be calling on Trump to disclose his taxes. The president will have three days to mull it over. Tax Day this year's Tuesday the 18. Peter Overby, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHRISTIAN SCOTT ATUNDE ADJUAH'S "ENCRYPTION")

1 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》

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

6 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

7 audited   

v.审计，查账( audit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The accounts have to be audited by a firm of external auditors. 这些账目必须由一家外聘审计员的公司来稽查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• E. g. few if any charities collection publishes audited accounts. 例如很少义款收集有公布经过查核的帐目。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

10 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。