(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
European Union finance ministers have reached an agreement that will make it more difficult for tax avoiders to hide their money. The new legislation was approved last week after Luxembourg and Austria agreed to lift their vetoes. Countries known as tax havens had blocked the bank secrecy laws for years.
The new law means that depositors will no longer be able to hide their money from governments in EU countries like Luxembourg. So says Algirdas Semeta, the EU Commissioner for Taxation.
"The revised directive promises full and lasting tax transparency in Europe. Bank secrecy is dead, and automatic exchange of information will be applied in its widest form."
Luxembourg agreed to share bank information with member countries starting in 2017. Austria has signaled that it will do the same by 2018.
Jacob Kirkegaard is a researcher with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He says the agreement is an important milestone in worldwide efforts to stop tax avoidance.
"This is a very significant development and it's really the culmination of what at least in the EU has been a decade-long struggle by some governments - in France, Italy and Germany - to really curb this long standing practice of anonymous, offshore, if you like, bank accounts in other EU countries."
Many years of bank secrecy have helped Luxembourg become one of Europe's main financial centers. Bank deposits in the country are valued at more than 10 times the size of the nation's yearly economic production.
Switzerland once was among the world's biggest tax havens: countries with little bank regulation or with low taxes. But the country ended its bank secrecy policy last year after facing intense legal pressure from Europe and the U.S.
People seeking to avoid taxes in their home country can still hide their money in less developed countries where bank supervision is weaker. But Jacob Kirkegaard says the choices and advantages of doing so are shrinking.
"Well, you can go to places like Dubai, some have mentioned Singapore, but Singapore has also recently joined these efforts, so it becomes increasingly difficult to keep your money at a place at which they are readily available."
Some economists estimate that as much as eight percent of the world's financial wealth may be hidden in tax haven countries. That is more than $7 trillion. It is estimated that worldwide tax income would increase by $200 billion if that money were correctly reported to tax officials.
And that's the Economics Report from VOA Learning English. I'm Mario Ritter.
词汇学习
1.approve vt. 批准；认可
Nobody would approve your ideal plans for reforming the system of government.
没有人会赞成你的关于改革政体的不切实际的计划。
2.lift v.撤销，解除
The European Commission has urged France to lift its ban on imports of British beef.
欧盟委员会敦促法国解除进口英国牛肉的禁令。
3.block vt. 阻止；阻塞
Some students today blocked a highway that cuts through the center of the city...
今天一些学生堵塞了一条贯穿市中心的公路。
4.signal vt. 向…发信号，预示，显示
She will be signalling massive changes in energy policy...
她将暗示能源政策会有重大变化。
5.curb vt. 制止，束缚，控制
You must curb your extravagant tastes.
你必须控制自己铺张奢侈的嗜好。
6.anonymous adj. 无名的；假名的；匿名的
She's got too much dignity to descend to writing anonymous letters.
她是个自尊心很强的人，绝不会自贬身份去写匿名信。
7.correctly adv. 正确地，得体地
When an accident happens, quite correctly questions are asked.
当事故发生时，理所当然要询问一些情况。
内容解析
1.The new law means that depositors will no longer be able to hide their money from governments in EU countries like Luxembourg.
no longer不再
no longer, not ... any longer的用法区别
(1) 用作副词表示时间上的“不再”，可用no longer, not...any longer, not...any more：
He knows that he is no longer young. 他知道自己不再年轻。
We don't live here any more [longer]. / We no longer live here. 我们不住在这里了。
no longer 通常位于句中的实意动词之前，动词be、助动词和情态动词之后，有时也可位于句末或句首(用于句首时，其后用倒装语序)：
He no longer loves her. / He loves her no longer. / No longer does he love her. 他再也不爱她了。
【注】原来no more 也可表示时间上的“不再”(但要与非延续性动词连用，且位于句末)，但在现代英语中，no more 一般不这样用。
(2) 以下各例中的more 和longer 分别为much 和long的比较级，此时两者不可混淆：
There is no more bread. 没有面包了。
The boy doesn't want any more. 这孩子不想再要了。
This rope is no longer than that one. 这根绳子与那根绳子一样不长。
2.Bank deposits in the country are valued at more than 10 times the size of the nation's yearly economic production.
倍数的表达
a. 主语+谓语+倍数(或分数)+ as + adj. + as
I have three times as many as you. 我有你三倍那么多。
b. 主语+谓语+倍数(分数)+ the size (amount，length…) of…
The earth is 49 times the size of the moon. 地球是月球的49倍。
c. 主语+谓语+倍数(分数)+ 形容词(副词)比较级+ than…
The grain output is 8 percent higher this year than that of last year.
今年比去年粮食产量增加8%。
d. 还可以用by+倍数，表示增加多少倍
The production of grain has been increased by four times this year.
今年粮食产量增加了4倍。
参考译文
美国之音慢速学英语节目，这里是经济报道。
欧盟各国财长达成了一项协议，使得逃税者隐匿他们的资金更加困难。上周，卢森堡和奥地利同意取消否决权之后，这项新立法得到批准。多年来，被称为避税天堂的国家一直都在阻止这项与银行保密规定相关的立法。
这项新立法意味着储户再也无法在卢森堡之类的欧盟国家向政府隐藏他们的资金。欧盟税务专员阿吉达斯·赛梅塔(Algirdas Semeta)这样表示。
他说，“修订后的指令承诺全面持久地保证欧洲的税务透明度。银行保密已成为过去，信息自动交换将以最广泛的形式得到应用。”
卢森堡同意从2017年开始与欧盟成员国共享银行信息。奥地利也表示从2018年开始采取同样的举措。
Jacob Kirkegaard是彼得森国际经济研究所的一位研究员。他说该协议是全球终结避税措施的一个重要里程碑。
他说，“这是一项重大进展，也是欧盟许多国家，至少是法国、意大利和德国等国长达十年斗争的高潮，他们希望真正遏制长期以来在欧盟其它国家开设匿名账户和离岸账户的行为。”
多年的银行保密措施已经帮助卢森堡成为欧洲最重要的金融中心之一。该国银行存款总值是该国年度经济产值的10倍以上。
瑞士曾经是全球最大的避税天堂之一，这类国家银行监管少，税率低。但去年，遭遇来自欧洲和美国巨大的法律压力之后，瑞士结束了银行保密政策。
希望在本国逃税者仍然可以将他们的资金藏匿在银行监管较为薄弱的欠发达国家。但Jacob Kirkegaard表示，这样做的选择面和优势都在逐渐缩小。
“你可以去迪拜等地，也有人提到了新加坡，但新加坡最近也在为此努力。所以将资金存放在方便存取的地方越来越难。”
一些经济学家估计，多达8%的世界金融财富，也就是7万亿美元可能被藏匿在避税天堂。据估计，如果这些资金向税务官员正确申报，全球税收收入将增加2000亿美元。
以上就是今天的美国之音慢速英语经济报道的全部内容。我是Mario Ritter。
