经济学人92:电影业补贴,单边裁军

 　　Film-industry subsidies¹

　　电影业补贴

　　Unilateral disarmament

　　单边裁军

　　After a decade of escalation², a stupid trend may have peaked

　　历经十年增长，愚蠢的跟风计划可能巅峰已过

　　Jun 9th 2011 | LOS ANGELES | from the print edition

　　Lights, cameras, subsidies, action!LOTS of states would love to be California and have their own little Hollywood. Film crews would then come to town and spend money in hair salons³ and hotels, and local politicians could pose with film stars. So why not call it “economic development” to justify⁴ the huge tax credits that lure⁵ film producers? As of last year, more than 40 states had such incentives⁶, costing them a record $1.4 billion.

　　灯光，摄像，补贴，开始！许多州都希望像加利福尼亚一样，能拥有一个自己的好莱坞，哪怕很小。摄制组人员到时来到小城，美发厅、宾馆收入倍增，本地政界人士可与电影明星一起合影留念。那么为什么不称之为“经济发展”以证明吸引电影制片商的巨额税收减免是值得的？去年开始，40多个州都出台了发展电影业的刺激措施，成本达到了破纪录的14亿美元。

　　Even California itself plays the game, believing that it has to defend itself against the poachers. In 2003, when only a handful of states (principally Louisiana and New Mexico) offered incentives, California made two-thirds of America’s big-studio films. Now it makes far fewer than half. Film LA, an organisation⁷ that co-ordinates permits for film shoots in Los Angeles, says that without California’s own tax credit, “2010 would have been the worst year” since the mid-1990s for filming in Hollywood. As its marketing⁸ blog gibes⁹: “It is extraordinarily¹⁰ unlikely that the 137 productions that filmed in Michigan since 2007 chose to shoot there for creative reasons, a favourable¹¹ climate or a deep and talented film-crew base.”

　　加州也参与到这场游戏之中，他们必须要保住自己的优势，以免受到后来者的冲击。2003年，只有很少几个州（主要有路易斯安娜和新墨西哥）出台鼓励政策，当时2/3的主要美国电影由加州生产。现在这个比例远远低于1/2。Film LA是洛杉矶的电影摄制协调授权机构，他们表示，加州如果没有税收优惠政策，2010年的好莱坞影业将成为1990年代中期以来最糟的一年，正如它们营销博客的一篇文章所说：“ 2007年以来有137部电影选择在密执根州拍摄，因为那里富有创意、环境宜人、人才辈出，这种说法绝无可能。”

　　All this costs money, which legislators volunteer on behalf of taxpayers¹³. Many tax credits (a percentage of a film crew’s local expenditures) exceed the filmmaker’s total tax liability to that state. The credits have even become an industry unto themselves: brokers¹⁴ slice them into tranches and trade them. In Iowa filmmakers were selling their credits until that state shut its programme in 2009. Last month an Iowa judge sentenced a producer to ten years in prison for fiddling¹⁵ credits.

　　所有这一切都要花钱，代表纳税人利益的立法者愿意为此花钱。给予电影制片商的许多税收优惠（电影剧组人员在当地消费额的一个百分比）超过了他们在该州总体的税收负担。税收优惠甚至形成了一个产业，经纪人把它分成不同的部分，并对它们进行经营。在爱荷华州，电影制片人一直对外出售其税收优惠，直到2009年该州停止了该项计划。上个月，爱荷华的一个制片人因骗取税收优惠被法官判处10年监禁。

　　Incentives do not have to involve tax credits. Some states simplify the paperwork by just giving out cash (calling it “rebates” or “grants”). Others exempt¹⁶ film-makers from sales or hotel taxes or give them other perks¹⁷.

　　刺激措施并不一定就是税收优惠。有些州简化了需要报送的资料文件，直接派发现金（称之为“返利”或“政府补偿”）。还有些州免收他们的销售税或酒店税，或者给予其他的实惠。

　　All this is silly. First, as Joseph Henchman at the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan think-tank, puts it, even when a state succeeds in luring¹⁸ film crews, they rarely boost the economy or tax revenues enough to justify the costs of the incentives. Film companies usually import their staff (stars, stuntmen, etc) and export them again when the shoot is over. The local jobs they create (hairdressers, sound technicians, pizza deliverers) are mostly temporary.

　　所有这些做法都非常愚蠢。首先，正如一家无党派背景的智库“税收基金会”的约瑟夫??汉契曼指出的那样，一个州即便成功地吸引到了摄制人员，也很少能获得收入或税收的大幅增长，以补偿激励措施造成的损失。影业公司通常临时引进所需人员（明星、替身等），但一旦影片拍摄结束，这些人又会转移到其他地方。他们在本地创造的就业机会（如发型师、音响师、快餐外送）大多都是暂时性的。

　　Second, since virtually all states are at it, the programmes largely cancel out one another; no state gets a lasting¹⁹ advantage. The craze resembles a beggar-thy-neighbour trade war (with mutually destructive tariffs) or the federal tax code with its loopholes for every lobby and thus higher rates for all. In the language of cold-war nukes, it would be mutually assured destruction (MAD). The only winner is the film industry. In essence, a rich bloke in a Brentwood villa²⁰ gets money from a poor taxpayer¹² in West Virginia.

　　第二，因为几乎所有的州都有这样的优惠政策，其效果相互大幅消解，没有哪个州能够长久受益。这种狂热的做法恰似一个损人利己的贸易战（相互之间使用具有破坏性的关税），或者说象是每一个游说议员面对着一个漏洞百出的联邦税收法典，因此所有人来说税率只会更高。这种情况可套用冷战核竞赛时代的一句话，那就是“确保相互毁灭”。惟一的赢家就是电影业。居住在纽约布伦特伍德别墅的富翁其实赚取的是西弗吉尼亚贫穷纳税人的钱。

　　Fortunately, this has begun sinking in. Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey²¹ and Washington have recently ended, suspended or shrunk their programmes. Many others, struggling with budget deficits²², are considering doing the same, investing the money in something permanent or even leaving it to taxpayers. “2010 will likely stand as the peak year,” thinks Mr Henchman.

　　所幸的是，这种局面正在发生改变。在亚利桑那、阿肯色、爱达荷、堪萨斯、缅因、新泽西以及华盛顿等州，为吸引电影业而实行的减税计划，有的已经终止，有的暂停，还有的州将计划进行了缩减。正在遭受预算赤字的困扰的其他许多州，也打算改变这项规划，将资金投入到那些永久性的项目中去，或者干脆让利于纳税人。汉契曼先生认为“过去的2010年很可能是这种行为的最高峰”。

1 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

3 salons   

n.（营业性质的）店( salon的名词复数 )；厅；沙龙（旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所）；（大宅中的）客厅

参考例句：

• He used to attend to his literary salons. 他过去常常去参加他的文学沙龙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Conspiracy theories about Jewish financiers were the talk of Paris salons. 犹太金融家阴谋论成为巴黎沙龙的话题。 来自互联网

4 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

5 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

6 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 gibes   

vi.嘲笑，嘲弄（gibe的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• He smarted under the gibes of his fellows. 他因受同伴的嘲笑而苦恼。 来自辞典例句
• Don' t make gibes about her behavior. 别嘲笑她的行为。 来自辞典例句

10 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

11 favourable   

adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的

参考例句：

• The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
• We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

12 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

13 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

14 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

15 fiddling   

微小的

参考例句：

• He was fiddling with his keys while he talked to me. 和我谈话时他不停地摆弄钥匙。
• All you're going to see is a lot of fiddling around. 你今天要看到的只是大量的胡摆乱弄。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

16 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

17 perks   

额外津贴，附带福利，外快( perk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perks offered by the firm include a car and free health insurance. 公司给予的额外待遇包括一辆汽车和免费健康保险。
• Are there any perks that go with your job? 你的工作有什么津贴吗？

18 luring   

吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
• Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她：有危险，要出错儿，这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。

19 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

20 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

21 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

22 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句