評論
打印
Fuel duty
燃油稅
Easy riders
逍遙騎士
The fuel duty freeze is politically astute but financially ill-judged
凍結(jié)燃油稅—高明的政治決定，欠妥的經(jīng)濟策略
Pump priming
泵水政策—經(jīng)濟刺激政策
ON December 3rd George Osborne confirmed that he would not increase the price of fuel duty, an unpopular tax on motorists. Soon Mr Osborne will have overseen the longest freeze of fuel taxes in 20 years. Motorists are rejoicing. But though politically savvy, the chancellor's move is unlikely to last long.
12月3日，喬治·奧斯本證實不會上調(diào)有車一族不喜歡的燃油稅這一消息。有車一族并不歡迎燃油稅。不久，在未來的20年內(nèi)，奧斯本將一直監(jiān)督最長的燃油稅凍結(jié)。有車一族欣喜若狂。盡管政治上給出了優(yōu)惠，但是財政大臣的這一舉措似乎不會長久地實行下去。
The Treasury argued in April that the freeze, which will have reduced fuel duty by 13% in real terms by the end of this parliament, boosts spending elsewhere in the economy by helping cash-strapped consumers. But parts of the Treasury's analysis already look dated. Since that report was published, the oil price has tumbled by 37%, from $113 a barrel to $71. This continues to reduce prices at the pump. The oil price is now beneath the $75-a-barrel threshold at which the chancellor has previously suggested he would raise the duty.
財政部在4月份發(fā)表聲明說由于此次凍結(jié)，燃油稅將在國會換屆前實際下降13%，通過幫助資金緊張的消費者在其他方面增加消費。但是財政部的部分分析已經(jīng)過時了。自報告發(fā)布以來，油價已暴跌了37%，從每桶113美元的價格下降至每桶71美元。這也使得加油站的油價持續(xù)下跌。油價現(xiàn)已低于每桶75美元，這已經(jīng)達到了奧斯本之前承諾提高燃油稅的臨界值。
Mr Osborne—with an eye on the election—was quick to rule this out. But if the oil price stays down, the next chancellor might struggle to resist the temptation, especially as driving has already got cheaper. Cars are around a third more efficient than a decade ago. The price of a new car has risen only slowly since 2007, while that of a second-hand one has plummeted. Since 2004 the overall cost of motoring has lagged inflation. And the average distance of journeys fell by 12% between 1995 and 2013.
奧斯本—著眼于下一屆選舉—迅速排除了這一威脅。但是只要油價持續(xù)下降，下一任財政大臣可能難拒誘惑，尤其是在開車成本越來越低的情況下。汽車的效能大約比十年前增加33%。自2007以來，新車的價格增長非常緩慢，而二手車的價格卻直線下降。2004年起，駕駛的總成本已經(jīng)滯后于通貨膨脹。1995年至2013年，駕駛的平均距離下降了12%。
Despite the freeze, taxes still account for 64% of the petrol price, which is 1.21 ($1.90) per litre. They make up 63% of the price of diesel, which costs 1.26 per litre. This is higher than in most countries.
盡管燃油稅得到凍結(jié)，稅收仍然占到汽油價格—每升1.21英鎊（合1.9美元）—的64%，占到柴油價格（每升1.26英鎊）的63%。與大多數(shù)國家相比，這個數(shù)額要高出許多。
There is a strong environmental case for the tax, which helps to reduce pollution and congestion. Drivers may delight in cheaper fuel, but not if they have to sit in miles of traffic queues and collectively hurt the environment. And unlike some other taxes, fuel duty is easy to collect. It is far less toxic than road pricing or congestion charges. It is a fairer tax than the vehicle excise duty: those who travel the farthest pay the most. This also makes it greener, says Stephen Joseph of the Campaign for Better Transport, a lobby group. And the tax is lucrative: each year fuel duty brings in around 27 billion, making it the sixth-largest source of government revenue. Mr Osborne's policy may yet be put into reverse.
征收燃油稅很大程度上是考慮環(huán)境因素的結(jié)果，有助于減少環(huán)境污染和交通擁堵。人們樂于使用更便宜的燃料，但絕不希望因此困于冗長的交通擁擠而造成對環(huán)境的集體傷害。與其他稅收不一樣，燃油稅很容易征收。它比道路收費和交通擁堵費無害的多，也比根據(jù)旅行路程來征收的汽車消費稅公平的多。一名來自游說組織 the Campaign for Better Transport的成員斯蒂芬·約瑟夫說道，燃油稅也更加環(huán)保。這一稅收也帶來了十分豐厚的利潤：每年產(chǎn)生270億燃油稅，是政府收入的第六大來源。而奧斯本的政策可能會逆轉(zhuǎn)這一情況。譯者：胡雅琳 校對：石海霞
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