愛國的資本家？美國19位超級富豪喊話總統候選人：快給我們加稅

Disney and Soros among super-rich urging US government: tax us more

迪斯尼和索羅斯等超級富豪敦促美國政府：快給我們加稅

來源：《衛報》 翻譯：世界播

More than a dozen prominent US billionaires are calling for a new government tax on extreme wealth to help combat income inequality, provide funding for climate change initiatives and range of public health issues.

十多位美國知名億萬富翁呼籲政府對極端財富徵收新稅，以幫助消除收入不平等，為氣候變化舉措和一系列公共健康問題提供資金。

Addressed to 「2020 presidential candidates」, billionaire signatories to the letter include financier George Soros, heiresses Liesel, Abigail Disney and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes.

在致《2020年總統候選人》的聯名公開信中，署名的億萬富翁包括金融家喬治?索羅斯、女繼承人莉塞爾、阿比蓋爾?迪斯尼和臉書聯合創始人克里斯?休斯。

The letter calls for a raise in federal wealth taxes to 「substantially fund」 new investment in sectors including clean energy, universal childcare, student loan debt relief, improvements in infrastructure, and tax relief for low-income families.

公開信呼籲提高聯邦財富稅，為清潔能源、普及兒童保育、學生貸款債務減免、基礎設施改善和低收入家庭稅收減免等領域的新投資提供「大量資金」。

「America has a moral, ethical and economic responsibility to tax our wealth more,」 the 19 signatories to the letter urged.

這封信的19個簽署人督促道：「美國有基於道德、倫理和經濟方面的責任，來對我們的財富徵收更多的稅。」

「Instituting a wealth tax is in the interest of our republic,」 they added, arguing that a moderate tax on the wealthiest Americans enjoys the support of a majority of Americans. It is estimated the tax could generate nearly $3tn in revenue over 10 years.

他們補充稱：「徵收財富稅符合我們國家的利益」，他們認為，對最富有的美國人徵收適度的稅收得到了大多數美國人的支持。據估計，這項稅收將在未來10年創造近3萬億美元的收入。

The proposal is likely to draw broad support from Democratic candidates, among whom the idea of an extreme wealth tax has gained traction. Senator Elizabeth Warren has proposed a 2% tax on assets of $50m or more in assets – including stocks, bonds, yachts, cars and art – and a further 1% on assets over $1bn.

這一提議可能會得到民主黨候選人的廣泛支持，其中極端財富稅的想法已經得到了他們的支持。參議員伊麗莎白?沃倫提議對5000萬美元以上的資產徵收2%的稅，其中包括股票、債券、遊艇、汽車和藝術品，對超過10億美元的資產徵收1%的稅。

Warren estimates such a tax would affect 75,000 families, and raise $2.75tn over 10 years.

沃倫估計，這樣的稅收將影響7.5萬個家庭，並在未來10年創造2.75萬億美元的稅收金額。

In a related move on Monday, Senator Bernie Sanders announced a plan to erase $1.6tn in outstanding student loan debt. Dubbed 「The College for All Act」, the cost of releasing 45 million Americans from higher education debt would be met by new taxes on Wall Street transactions.

周一，參議員伯尼?桑德斯宣布了一項相關舉措，一項旨在消除1.6萬億美元學生貸款債務的計劃。這項被稱為《大學普惠法案》的計劃提議，將對華爾街交易徵收新稅，以抵消4500萬美國人在接受高等教育期間所背負的學生債務。

The proposal goes further than Warren』s student loan plan, which caps debt forgiveness at $50,000 and offers no relief to those earning more than $250,000.

該提議比沃倫的學生貸款計劃更進一步。沃倫的學生貸款計劃將債務減免上限設定在5萬美元，對收入超過25萬美元的人不提供任何減免。

The initiatives are established on the same premise: an inequitable distribution of wealth exacerbated by inequitable tax burden across the income spectrum.

這些舉措都是基於同樣的前提：收入階層的不公平稅收負擔加劇了財富的不公平分配。

The letter to presidential candidates follows public worries from America』s very rich about growing inequality.

在寫這封致總統候選人的信之前，美國超級富翁們對日益加劇的不平等感到擔憂。

Warren Buffett, founder of Berkshire Hathaway, published an essay in 2011 noting that his effective tax rate was 「actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office」. That prompted the idea of a 「Buffett Rule」, supported by then president Obama, mandating that millionaires pay at least a 30% rate.

伯克希爾?哈撒韋公司的創始人沃倫?巴菲特早在2011年就發表了一篇文章，指出他的實際稅率「實際上比我們辦公室其他20個人加起來的稅率都低」。這一想法最後變成了廣為人知的「巴菲特規則」，並在當時得到了奧巴馬總統的支持，要求百萬富翁至少支付30%的稅率。

In April, Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater, the world』s biggest hedge fund, expressed fears about the income inequality gap.

今年4月，全球最大對沖基金橋水基金的創始人雷伊?達里奧表達了對收入不平等差距的擔憂。

The yawning gap between rich and poor is a 「national emergency」 that poses an 「existential risk for the US」, Dalio wrote in an 8,000-word blogpost on LinkedIn.

達里奧在領英平台上發表了一篇8000字的博文，他在文中寫道，不斷擴大的貧富差距是一種「國家緊急狀態」，對「美國的生存構成威脅」。

「I believe that all good things taken to an extreme can be self-destructive and that everything must evolve or die. This is now true for capitalism,」 he wrote.

他還寫道：「我相信，所有的好事採取極端都有可能走向自我毀滅，一切都必須進化，否則就會消亡。現在資本主義也是如此。」

The JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon, investment chief Warren Buffett and Blackstone chairman Stephen Schwarzman have all publicly worried that income inequality has become an impediment to a functioning society.

摩根大通老闆傑米?戴蒙、投資先驅沃倫?巴菲特和黑石董事長斯蒂芬?施瓦茨曼都曾公開擔心，收入不平等已成為一個運轉良好的社會的障礙。

A recent analysis of a Federal Reserve report found that the wealthiest 1% of Americans saw their net worth grow by $21tn over the past 30 years, while the wealth of the bottom 50% fell by $900bn.

最近對美聯儲一份報告的分析發現，在過去30年里，1%最富有的美國人的凈資產增加了21萬億美元，而最底層50%的人的財富則減少了9000億美元。

喜歡這篇文章嗎？立刻分享出去讓更多人知道吧！