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New Jersey Adds Millionaires Tax to Ease a Crunch (1)
New Jersey officials agreed on Thursday to make the state one of the first to adopt a so-called millionaires tax to alleviate shortfalls caused by the pandemic, intensifying a national debate over whether to increase taxes on the rich to help address widening income gaps. Gov. Philip D. Murphy, a Democrat, announced a deal with legislative leaders to increase state taxes on income over $1 million by nearly 2 percentage points, giving New Jersey one of the highest state tax rates on wealthy people in the country. The agreement also includes an annual rebate of as much as $500 for families making less than $150,000. “We do not hold any grudge at all against those who have been successful in life,” said Mr. Murphy, a former executive at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. “But in this unprecedented time, when so many middle-class families and others have sacrificed so much, now is the time to ensure that the wealthiest among us are also called to sacrifice.”
The tax deal comes at a moment when the country is enduring its worst economic crisis in decades and Washington has been unable to agree on a stimulus bill to provide more help to cities and states, which have resorted to cuts in services and other fiscal maneuvers to stay solvent in the face of mounting deficits. Projected state revenues have plummeted, including declines of as much as $31 billion in California, $10 billion in New Jersey and $3.4 billion in Florida. In Washington, Democrats who control the House are standing firm on a goal of providing $2.2 trillion in aid to local and state governments, a figure rejected as too generous by President Trump and Senate Republicans, who have indicated that they do not want to send money to Democratic-run states and cities that they say have been mismanaged. With no signs of a breakthrough, state leaders, including Mr. Murphy and New York's governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, who is also a Democrat, have repeatedly stressed the urgent need for federal relief.
（本文选自《纽约时报》（The New York Times）2020年9月25日刊）
【文章翻译】
为缓解紧缩，新泽西州加大对百万富翁的征税力度
周四，新泽西州官员达成一致，该州成为首批采纳所谓的“百万富翁税”政策的州之一，缓解疫情造成的短缺。而是否应对富人增税，借此解决收入差距不断扩大问题这一轰动全国的争论进一步加剧。（新泽西）民主党州长菲利普·D·墨菲宣布与立法领导人早前达成一项协议，将该州对超100万美元的收入征收的税率提高近2个百分点。届时，新泽西州将成为美国富人税税率最高的联邦州之一。该协议还包括为年收入低于15万美元的家庭提供高达500美元的年度退税。“我们并非对成功人士存有任何怨恨之心，”投资银行高盛前高管墨菲说道，“只不过，在这个史无前例的时刻，如此多的中产阶级及其他阶层家庭都做出了巨大牺牲，如今，也是时候确保我们当中最富有的人也来响应奉献号召了。”
此项税收协议到来之时，正值美国陷入几十年来最严重的经济危机，华盛顿一直无法就支援地方城市及州的刺激法案达成一致，赤字日益增长。为维持偿付能力，这些城市和州已经开始采取削减服务等财政措施。地方州的预计收入也已大幅下降，加利福尼亚州下降金额高达310亿美元，新泽西州下降金额为100亿美元，佛罗里达州则为34亿美元。在华盛顿，控制了众议院的民主党人不愿让步，紧紧抓住向地方政府及州政府提供2.2万亿美元援助的目标，特朗普总统及参议院共和党人则拒绝认可这一数额，称其过于慷慨。在此之前，他们就已经表示，不想把钱寄到民主党管理的，存在“管理不善”问题的州和城市。鉴于尚无突破迹象，墨菲与同为民主党人的纽约州州长安德鲁·M·科莫在内的州领导已一再强调他们迫切需要联邦的救济。
【积累表达】
1.hold grudge at sb. 对……抱有怨恨
It seems like life’s too short to hold grudges.人生苦短，何必留愁。
2.resort to 采取；诉诸
The government resorted to censorship of the press.政府以新闻审查制度为手段。
3.stay solvent 维持偿债能力
The local nobility depended on serf labor in order to stay solvent.
他们需要这笔钱来保持偿付能力。
4.stand firm on 坚持
With these states, we will stand firm on our principles even as we seek common ground.
我们在与这些国家寻求共同点的同时，也将坚定不移地坚持我们的原则。
【重点词汇】
New Jersey officials agreed on Thursday to make the state one of the first to adopt a so-called millionaires tax to alleviate shortfalls caused by the pandemic, intensifying a national debate over whether to increase taxes on the rich to help address widening income gaps. Gov. Philip D. Murphy, a Democrat, announced a deal with legislative leaders to increase state taxes on income over $1 million by nearly 2 percentage points, giving New Jersey one of the highest state tax rates on wealthy people in the country. The agreement also includes an annual rebate of as much as $500 for families making less than $150,000. “We do not hold any grudge at all against those who have been successful in life,” said Mr. Murphy, a former executive at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. “But in this unprecedented time, when so many middle-class families and others have sacrificed so much, now is the time to ensure that the wealthiest among us are also called to sacrifice.”
The tax deal comes at a moment when the country is enduring its worst economic crisis in decades and Washington has been unable to agree on a stimulus bill to provide more help to cities and states, which have resorted to cuts in services and other fiscal maneuvers to stay solvent in the face of mounting deficits. Projected state revenues have plummeted, including declines of as much as $31 billion in California, $10 billion in New Jersey and $3.4 billion in Florida. In Washington, Democrats who control the House are standing firm on a goal of providing $2.2 trillion in aid to local and state governments, a figure rejected as too generous by President Trump and Senate Republicans, who have indicated that they do not want to send money to Democratic-run states and cities that they say have been mismanaged. With no signs of a breakthrough, state leaders, including Mr. Murphy and New York's governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, who is also a Democrat, have repeatedly stressed the urgent need for federal relief.
（本文选自《纽约时报》（The New York Times）2020年9月25日刊）
【文章翻译】
为缓解紧缩，新泽西州加大对百万富翁的征税力度
周四，新泽西州官员达成一致，该州成为首批采纳所谓的“百万富翁税”政策的州之一，缓解疫情造成的短缺。而是否应对富人增税，借此解决收入差距不断扩大问题这一轰动全国的争论进一步加剧。（新泽西）民主党州长菲利普·D·墨菲宣布与立法领导人早前达成一项协议，将该州对超100万美元的收入征收的税率提高近2个百分点。届时，新泽西州将成为美国富人税税率最高的联邦州之一。该协议还包括为年收入低于15万美元的家庭提供高达500美元的年度退税。“我们并非对成功人士存有任何怨恨之心，”投资银行高盛前高管墨菲说道，“只不过，在这个史无前例的时刻，如此多的中产阶级及其他阶层家庭都做出了巨大牺牲，如今，也是时候确保我们当中最富有的人也来响应奉献号召了。”
此项税收协议到来之时，正值美国陷入几十年来最严重的经济危机，华盛顿一直无法就支援地方城市及州的刺激法案达成一致，赤字日益增长。为维持偿付能力，这些城市和州已经开始采取削减服务等财政措施。地方州的预计收入也已大幅下降，加利福尼亚州下降金额高达310亿美元，新泽西州下降金额为100亿美元，佛罗里达州则为34亿美元。在华盛顿，控制了众议院的民主党人不愿让步，紧紧抓住向地方政府及州政府提供2.2万亿美元援助的目标，特朗普总统及参议院共和党人则拒绝认可这一数额，称其过于慷慨。在此之前，他们就已经表示，不想把钱寄到民主党管理的，存在“管理不善”问题的州和城市。鉴于尚无突破迹象，墨菲与同为民主党人的纽约州州长安德鲁·M·科莫在内的州领导已一再强调他们迫切需要联邦的救济。
【积累表达】
1.hold grudge at sb. 对……抱有怨恨
It seems like life’s too short to hold grudges.人生苦短，何必留愁。
2.resort to 采取；诉诸
The government resorted to censorship of the press.政府以新闻审查制度为手段。
3.stay solvent 维持偿债能力
The local nobility depended on serf labor in order to stay solvent.
他们需要这笔钱来保持偿付能力。
4.stand firm on 坚持
With these states, we will stand firm on our principles even as we seek common ground.
我们在与这些国家寻求共同点的同时，也将坚定不移地坚持我们的原则。
【重点词汇】
