健康收藏
健康為本
Stop Coddling the Super-Rich 停止嬌寵超級富豪 
OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.
我們的領導人已經要求“共享犧牲。”但他們要求時，他們放過了我。我查問了我的巨富的朋友們，了解他們期待什麽痛苦。他們也被放過。
While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as “carried interest,” thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they’d been long-term investors.
盡管在阿富汗 窮人和中產階級為我們在戰鬥，同時大多數美國人在入不敷出中掙紮，而我們這些巨富繼續得到我們的特殊稅收減免。我們有些人是投資經理人，日常收入數十億美元，但我們的收入被允許列為“附帶權益”，從而得到便宜15％的稅率。其他人如果他們是長期投資者 擁有股指期貨10分鍾，他們的收益的60%要征稅15％。
These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places.
這些和其他的優惠是華盛頓立委們覺得有必要保護我們所贈與的，就好象我們是貓頭鷹或其他一些瀕危物種。有在高層的朋友真好。
Last year my federal tax bill — the income tax I paid, as well as payroll taxes paid by me and on my behalf — was $6,938,744. That sounds like a lot of money. But what I paid was only 17.4 percent of my taxable income — and that’s actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office. Their tax burdens ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent.
去年我的聯邦稅單 - 我支付的所得稅，以及我和我的名義支付的工資稅 - 6938744元。這聽起來像很多錢。但我付出的是我的應納稅所得額的17.4％ - 這實際上是一個較低的百分比，相比我們的辦公室任何其他20人所支付的。他們的稅務負擔從33％到41％不等，平均為36％。
If you make money with money, as some of my super-rich friends do, your percentage may be a bit lower than mine. But if you earn money from a job, your percentage will surely exceed mine — most likely by a lot.
如果你讓錢生錢，象我的一些超級富豪朋友那樣，你的比例可能會比我低一點。但是，如果你從工作中賺取的錢，你的百分比一定會超過我的 - 極有可能會很多。
To understand why, you need to examine the sources of government revenue. Last year about 80 percent of these revenues came from personal income taxes and payroll taxes. The mega-rich pay income taxes at a rate of 15 percent on most of their earnings but pay practically nothing in payroll taxes. It’s a different story for the middle class: typically, they fall into the 15 percent and 25 percent income tax brackets, and then are hit with heavy payroll taxes to boot.
要理解為什麽，你需要檢查的政府收入來源。去年大約有80％以上的收入來自個人所得稅和工資稅。巨富們支付他們的大部分收益率在15％的所得稅，但在工資稅支付的幾乎沒有。中產階層就不同：通常情況下，他們分為15％和25％的所得稅範圍，然後是沉重的工資稅。
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, tax rates for the rich were far higher, and my percentage rate was in the middle of the pack. According to a theory I sometimes hear, I should have thrown a fit and refused to invest because of the elevated tax rates on capital gains and dividends.
早在20世紀80年代和90年代，對富人的稅率要高得多，我的稅率是在當中。據我有時聽到的理論，我應該拋出一些，並拒絕投資，因為樓梯式的資本利得和股息稅率。
I didn’t refuse, nor did others. I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone — not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 — shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain. People invest to make money, and potential taxes have never scared them off. And to those who argue that higher rates hurt job creation, I would note that a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know what’s happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation.
我沒有拒絕，其他人也沒有。我和投資人一起工作60年來，我還沒有看到任何人 - 甚至資產收益率在1976年至1977年的39.9％ - 回避一個明智的投資，因為潛在收益的稅率。人投資賺錢，而潛在的稅收從來沒有讓他們害怕而放棄。而那些認為高利率損害創造就業機會，我想指出，1980年和2000年之間淨增加近40萬個就業機會。你知道自那時以來所發生的：低稅率和超低的就業機會。
Since 1992, the I.R.S. has compiled data from the returns of the 400 Americans reporting the largest income. In 1992, the top 400 had aggregate taxable income of $16.9 billion and paid federal taxes of 29.2 percent on that sum. In 2008, the aggregate income of the highest 400 had soared to $90.9 billion — a staggering $227.4 million on average — but the rate paid had fallen to 21.5 percent.
自1992年以來，I.R.S.對400個最高收入的美國人報稅單中編輯了統計數據。 1992年，400強總額16.9億美元的應納稅所得額，並支付該款項的29.2％的聯邦稅。 2008年，總收入最高的400人，猛增到90.9億美元 - 平均每人$ 227.4萬 - ，但利率支付已經下降到21.5％。
The taxes I refer to here include only federal income tax, but you can be sure that any payroll tax for the 400 was inconsequential compared to income. In fact, 88 of the 400 in 2008 reported no wages at all, though every one of them reported capital gains. Some of my brethren may shun work but they all like to invest. (I can relate to that.)
我在這裏指的稅款是隻包括聯邦所得稅，但你可以肯定，對400強來說，任何工資稅相比收入是微不足道的。事實上，在2008年400裏 88個報道沒有工資，但他們每個人都報了資本收益。我的有些弟兄們可能避諱工作，但他們都喜歡投資。 （我可以和那些聯係起來。）
I know well many of the mega-rich and, by and large, they are very decent people. They love America and appreciate the opportunity this country has given them. Many have joined the Giving Pledge, promising to give most of their wealth to philanthropy. Most wouldn’t mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering.
我知道很多的巨富，總的來說，他們都是很正派的人。他們熱愛美國並欣賞這個國家給與他們的機會。許多人都加入了捐助承諾，許諾把他們財富的大部分捐給慈善事業。大多數人都不會介意被告知繳納更多的稅，特別是在這麽多同胞們正在真正地受苦時。
Twelve members of Congress will soon take on the crucial job of rearranging our country’s finances. They’ve been instructed to devise a plan that reduces the 10-year deficit by at least $1.5 trillion. It’s vital, however, that they achieve far more than that. Americans are rapidly losing faith in the ability of Congress to deal with our country’s fiscal problems. Only action that is immediate, real and very substantial will prevent that doubt from morphing into hopelessness. That feeling can create its own reality.
12國會議員不久將承擔重新排列我國財政的重要工作。他們已經被指示製定一項計劃，降低至少達1.5萬億美元的10年的赤字。它非常重要，但是，他們實現的遠不止於此。美國人正在迅速失去對國會的處理能力與我國的財政問題的信心。隻有即時地，真實地，非常可觀地行動，才能防止從變形到絕望的懷疑。這種感覺可以創建自己的現實。
Job one for the 12 is to pare down some future promises that even a rich America can’t fulfill. Big money must be saved here. The 12 should then turn to the issue of revenues. I would leave rates for 99.7 percent of taxpayers unchanged and continue the current 2-percentage-point reduction in the employee contribution to the payroll tax. This cut helps the poor and the middle class, who need every break they can get.
12個人的工作之一是削減即使是一個富裕的美國也不能履行的對未來的一些承諾。大筆的錢必須在這裏節省。 12個人然後轉向收入問題。我會讓99.7％的納稅人稅率不變，並繼續目前的對雇員的貢獻工資稅2個百分點的減少。這種減少可幫助那些窮人和中產階級，他們需要任何可以得到的休息。
But for those making more than $1 million — there were 236,883 such households in 2009 — I would raise rates immediately on taxable income in excess of $1 million, including, of course, dividends and capital gains. And for those who make $10 million or more — there were 8,274 in 2009 — I would suggest an additional increase in rate.
但是，對於那些拿1百萬美元以上者 - 在2009年有236883這樣的家庭 - 我會對應納稅所得額超過100萬美元的人立即提高稅率，當然包括提高利率，股息和資本收益。對1000萬美元或以上 - 在2009年有 8274 - 我建議額外增加稅率。
My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.
我和我的朋友已經被對億萬富翁友好的國會嬌寵足夠長了。現在是我們的政府認真對待共享犧牲的時候了。
Warren E. Buffett is the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway.
沃倫*巴菲特是“Berkshire Hathaway”的總裁和執行主席。
