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1. line1 Globalization is steadily and inexorably knitting separate national economies into a single world economy. Basic economic forces so far have outweighed political efforts to slow this trend. Efforts to buck the effects of economic integration have ranged from ant-globalization protests to Congressional efforts to prevent American companies from reincorporating abroad.1.全球化正持续不断地把各国相互独立的经济联合成一个统一的世界经济。迄今为止，在延缓这一趋势的过程中，基本的经济力量比政治力量强大的多。从反全球化的抗议到美国国会设法阻止美国公司在海外重组公司而做的努力都是为反对经济一体化效应而做的努力。3. line13 Another lesser-noticed benefit is that it makes it harder for governments to sustain excessively high tax rates. 3.另一个较少被关注的好处是全球化使政府很难再维持一个过高的税率。 4. line25 The main draw has been a low 10% corporate tax rate. Ireland has boomed from investment inflows and now has a per-capita income level higher than Great Britain or France.4.最具吸引力的就是10%的低水平的公司税率。爱尔兰由于投资的涌入而繁荣起来，并且它现在的人均收入水平已经高于英国或法国。5a. line29 Some nations are responding to tax competition in defensive and unproductive ways. High-tax countries have prodded international organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to curtail tax competition. The idea essentially is to create a high-tax cartel by limiting the advantages offered by low-tax countries. 5a.一些国家却以一种防御性的、无效的方式来回应税收竞争。高税收的国家敦促国际组织如经济合作开发组织（OECD）出面减少税收竞争。这种想法基本上就是要通过限制低税收国家提供的优惠而建立一个高税收的卡特尔。6a. Since the 1970s, most countries have reduced or eliminated exchange controls, allowing citizens to buy foreign securities and foreigners to invest domestically. Financial markets have been deregulated in many nations, thus making investment abroad more attractive than ever. The result has been an explosion in cross-border investment. Net world flows of investment capital soared from a few hundred billion dollars per year in 1990 to roughly two trillion dollars per year today. 6a.市民购买国外的证券，也允许外国人在国内进行投资。很多国家解除了对金融市场的管制，所以和以前相比在国外投资更具吸引力。结果导致跨国投资激增。世界投资资本净流量从1990年的每年几千个亿高涨到现在的大约每年20，000亿。7. Consider also that many businesses used to invest abroad simply to gain access to fixed resources, such as oil deposits. Today, many industriessuch as finance and servicesare footloose and can be located anywhere. Thus, corporations have greater ability to move their operations to low-tax jurisdictions. Numerous studies have confirmed the importance of taxes to investment decisions. For instance, one analysis found that four European nations with favorable tax regimesIreland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerlandaccounted for nine percent of European output, but attracted 38% of U.S. investment there during the late 1990s. 7.许多公司过去在国外投资只是想获取进入固定资源的途径，比如石油储备。今天，许多企业比如金融和服务自由投资并能够建立在任何地方。所以，公司有更大的能力把公司的经营转移到低税收的地方。大量的研究已经证实了税率对投资决策的重要性。例如，一项研究分析发现，在19世纪90年代后期四个有良好的税收管理制度的欧洲国家爱尔兰，卢森堡，荷兰和瑞士生产产量占欧洲的9%，却吸引了美国投资的38%。8.Skilled workers are increasingly footloose as well. Governments have focused on keeping income tax rates low to avoid losing skilled labor in industries such as high-tech. For example, Canadian “brain drain” from technology industries to its lower-tax southern neighbor, the U.S., has been an important concern of Canadian policymakers in recent years. With the removal of internal migration restriction in the European Union in 1992, Europeans have become more sensitive to tax differences between countries. There has been an influx of young, skilled technology and finance workers to cities, such as London, that have more opportunities and lower taxes. 8.技术工人也越来越随心所欲。政府设法集中保持低收入税来避免各行业中有技能的劳动力的流失，比如高科技行业。举个例子，加拿大技术行业的“人才外流”，流向了它南边的低税收邻国，美国，已经成为近年来加拿大政策制定者需要着重考虑的问题。1992年，随着欧盟内部人口迁移限制的解除，欧洲人对于国家间税收的差异变得更加敏感。大量年轻的熟练技术工人和金融工人涌向了像伦敦这样的城市，因为那里有更多的就业机会和更低的税收。9. Ireland is an interesting case study of taxes and migration. For years, young Irish people sought a better life in the U.S. and elsewhere, but corporate tax cuts, followed by individual tax reductions, reversed the pattern of out-migration. Ireland now records a large net immigration, as young people stay at home to work for the many computer and technology firms that currently populate the nation.9.对于研究税收和人口迁移来说，爱尔兰是一个有趣的个案研究例子。许多年来，年轻的爱尔兰人都在美国和世界的其他地方寻求更好的生活。但是，随着企业税收的削减，紧跟着是个人税收的减少，完全改变了这种人口迁出的模式。年轻人留在国内为许多目前设立在这个国家的计算机和技术公司工作，爱尔兰现在净增的迁入移民人口数目很大。10a. Tax competition is greatly visible in the high-paid celebrity world. Celebrity tax avoidance is a popular game in Europe. Top French soccer players, artists, and models have moved to Switzerland, Britain, and the U.S. Singer Luciano Pavarotti relocated to Monaco to avoid high Italian taxes. 10a.非常普遍.法国顶尖的足球运动员、艺术家和模特都搬到了瑞士、英国，美国歌手鲁奇亚帕瓦罗蒂又定居到摩纳哥以逃避意大利高额的税收。10b. Tennis star Boris Becker who has claimed residence in Monaco and Switzerland, has been in trouble with the German tax authorities, having to pay a huge settlement in October, 2002.While tax cheats should be prosecuted, policymakers must get the message that a reduction in high tax rates is the best way to retain top talent and the entrepreneurs who add greatly to any nations economy. 10b. 宣称已定居摩纳哥和瑞士的网球明星鲍里斯贝克在2002年10月陷入了与德国税收当局之间的纠纷中，不得不清偿一大笔债务。逃税者应该被检举，但是制定政策者应该清楚降低高税率才是留住对国家经济做出巨大贡献的高层人才和企业家的最好方法。Global tax reduction 11a. Many countries have reduced capital gains taxes. For instance, Canada and Germany lowered their capital gains tax by allowing individuals to exclude 50% of their gains from taxation, effectively cutting the tax rate in half. While the capital gains rate in the U.S. is 20%, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland all have a zero individual capital gains tax rate. Reducing capital gains rates is important because start-up firms often rely on private equity from “angel” investors and others who fund risky companies. 全球税收降低11a.许多国家已经降低了资本收益税，例如，加拿大和德国通过允许个人把50%的收入从纳税中减免出来以降低他们的资本收益税，有效的使税率减半。而美国的资本收益税率是20%，奥地利，比利时、捷克共和国、德国、希腊、香港、墨西哥、荷兰、新西兰和瑞士的个人资本收益税率是零。降低资本收益税是重要的。因为许多新建的公司常常依赖于来自“天使般”的投资者和其他给风险公司投资的人们.11b.The payoff for these investors comes from a big capital gain on the few start-ups that succeed. 12a. Tax cuts have been an efficient response to increasing tax competition. Unfortunately for their economies, some governments have adopted other policies that make their tax codes less efficient. In particular, many nations have enacted layers of complex tax rules on international businesses to prevent them from migrating abroad. The U.S. tax rules on international businesses are some of the most complex in the world11b. 付给投资者的报酬是来自于这些新成立公司经营成功后的一大笔资本收益。 12a.降低税收是应对不断增加的税收竞赛的有效措施。不幸的是，有些政府为它们的经济采取了其他的政策，这使它们的税收法规效率降低。尤其是许多政府给国际企业制定许多复杂的税法来阻止它们移向国外，美国对国际大公司的税法在世界上是最复杂，12b. There is increasing concern that Federal tax rules are making American companies less competitive in global markets. Indeed, one of Pres. Bushs top economic advisors, Glenn Hubbard, has noted that, “from an income tax perspective, the United States has become one of the least attractive industrial countries in which to locate the headquarters of a multinational corporation.”12b. 一个越来越需要关注的问题是联邦税法使美国的公司在国际市场上的竞争力下降。的确，布什总统的一个高级经济顾问格伦哈伯德指出，从所得税方面来说，美国已成为最没有吸引力使跨国公司在本国设立总部的工业国之一。13a. Essentially, Federal rules force American firms to pay U.S. taxes on their foreign operations in situations where competitors based abroad do not pay tax on their similar operations. About half of OECD countries have “territorial” tax systems that do not impose taxes on firms foreign operations. By contrast, the U.S. imposes taxes on the worldwide income of American companies, making them less competitive in foreign markets. 13a.实质上，联邦法规迫使美国公司交纳其国外经营所得税，而其它国家的同行竞争者则不需要交纳这样的税款，大约一半的经济合作发展组织成员国都有自己的“区域”税收体制，这些体制对该国公司在国外的经营不征收税。相反，美国对全世界的美国公司都征收所得税，这样就使它们在国外市场的竞争力下降。13b.That uncompetitiveness was highlighted by the 1998 Daimler-Chrysler merger, which established the merged corporations headquarters in Germany, in part for tax reasons. There has been a marked increase in the number and size of American firms swallowed up by foreign companies because the U.S. is not a good tax location for multinational headquarters. 13b.这种竞争力的下降尤其表现在1998年戴姆勒一克莱斯勒集团的合并，该集团合并后将总部设在德国，税收也是部分的原因。被国外公司吞并的美国公司在数量和规模上都有显著的增加，这是因为从税收方面考虑美国并不是一个理想的跨国公司总部所在地。Tax competition benefit Line125 14a. In 1956, economist Charles Tiebout examined the provision of services by local governments and observed that competition among local governments for mobile residents enhanced the overall welfare of the country. To avoid losing residents, governments had to tailor spending and tax levels to suit local preferences. 税收竞争的益处 14a.1956年，经济学家查理斯逖布特研究了地方政府的服务政策，发现地方政府之间对流动人口待遇的竞争使得整个国家的整体福利水平有所提高。为了避免人口流失，政府不得不调整开支和税收以适应地方需要。14b.Individuals sorted across jurisdictions according to their demand for public goods relative to local tax levels. For example, households that desire well-financed public schools may choose to reside in counties with higher property taxes. Others may move to jurisdictions with lower taxes and more-limited government services. 14b.人们越过管辖权根据对公益的需要及与此相关的地方税收水平选择不同的居住地。例如，渴望上经费充足的公立学校的家庭可能会选择定居在有较高财产所得税的县。其它家庭可能会选择低税收但有更多限制的政府福利的管辖区。16a. Some people dont see it that way. The U.S. is a member nation of the Paris-based OECD, which has launched an initiative to curtail what it calls “harmful tax competition.” The OECD favors policies that would serve to harmonize taxes at high levels, akin to an oil cartel fixing high prices. The way the OECD sees it, it is a “distortion” if a country like Ireland attracts “too much” investment. 16a.一些人不那样看税收竞争，美国是总部设在巴黎的经济合作发展组织的成员国之一，已经率先开始压制所谓的有害税收竞争。经济合作发展组织支持有利于高水平地协调税收的政策，就像制定高价格的石油卡特尔。在经济合作发展组织看来，如果一个国家像爱尔兰一样吸引“太多的投资”，那是一种“扭曲”。19. In the late 1990s, there was great interest in replacing the income tax with a consumption-based tax system. Proposals included various retail sales tax proposals and the flat tax. Line170 While Washingtons interest in reform waned in the last years of the Clinton presidency, the Bush Administration plans to move ahead with reform. ONeill has promised a major tax simplification plan in coming months, and other top Bush advisors simply support reform. U.S. tax reform is the best response to the increasing pressures of international tax competition. 19.在20世纪90年代晚期，人们有极大的兴趣用消费税收体制取代所得税。提议包括各种各样的零售税提议和统税制，在克林顿执政的最后几年，美国政府对改革的兴趣已减弱，而布什政府却计划进行改革。奥尼尔已承诺下几个月做出一个主要税收简化计划，而布什的其他高级顾问仅仅表示支持改革。美国税收改革是对日益增长的国际税收竞争压力的最好回应。20.Tax systems such as the flat tax are “consumption-based” because they do not double-tax savings and investment as the income tax does. For example, if a business invests in a new machine, it would deduct its cost right away under the flat tax. By contrast, the income tax forces firms to write off investment over many years under complex depreciation rules. For individuals, a consumption-based tax would relieve double taxation on savings. People would be taxed when they earn wages, but when after-tax money is saved, it would not be subject to further taxation. 20.税收制度如统税制是“基于消费的”税收制度，如所得税一样，这些税制不会加倍对储蓄和投资征收税。例如，如果一个企业投资一台新机器，在统税制下公司会立即扣除它的成本。相反，受一些复杂的贬值规则的影响，所得税迫使公司注销许多年的投资。对个人来说，基于消费的税收将减轻对储蓄的双倍征税。当人们挣到工资后就应该纳税，但是纳税之后的钱就应该被节省下来，不应该对其进行进一步的征税。21.Such reforms would greatly simplify the Federal tax code and increase investment and economic growth. Line185 A consumption-based tax would require a much-lower tax rate than todays high income tax rates, thus giving a strong incentive for businesses and individuals to keep their investments in the U.S. Lower tax rates and a simpler consumption tax base would also reduce wasteful tax evasion and tax avoidance behavior. 21.这些改革将极大的简化联邦税收章程，并且增加投资和促进经济发展。基于消费的税收需要比目前的高所得税率低得多的税率。因而，给企业和个人一个强烈的刺激以保持他们在美国的投资。较低的税率和更简单的消费税收基数也会减少逃税行为。22. If the U.S. moves ahead with tax reform, other nations would probably follow suit, as they did when the U.S. cut rates in the 1980s. line190 As tax systems around the world become more efficient, economic output and incomes should rise. Tax competition among countries should be a win-win policy, as it restrains governments and helps spur global economic growth.22.如果美国率先进行税收改革，其他国家可能会仿效其后，就像他们在20世纪80年代仿效美国减少税率那样。当全世界的税收制度变得更有效的时候，经济产量和经济收入都会增长。国家间的税收竞争将是一个双赢政策，因为它限制了政府的权利并且有助于刺激全球经济的增长。
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