VOA常速英语2021--美国参议院民主党人提议进行国际税收改革

Tensions appear to have been eased between Jordan's King Abdullah II and his half brother, Prince Hamzah, days after the prince was accused of involvement in an attempt to destabilize the kingdom. The assessment¹ came after a meeting Monday between Abdullah's paternal² uncle, Hassan, and Hamzah. Also in attendance for the mediation³ was Hamzah's brother, Hashem, and three of their cousins. Hamzah later issued a signed statement. It said in a quote, "In light of the developments of the past two days, I put myself at the disposal of His Majesty⁴ the King." The prince added he would remain loyal to the king and to Jordan's constitution. Earlier in the day, Hamzah struck a defiant⁵ tone, saying he would not stay at home despite what he said was a government order for him to do so. He also said he would not stop communicating with the outside world. Officials in Jordan had accused Hamzah of a "malicious⁶ plot" against the government. Hamzah denies involvement, saying he is being targeted for speaking out against corruption⁷ and ineffective governance. At least 14 people have been arrested in connection with the alleged⁸ conspiracy⁹.

约旦国王阿卜杜拉二世和他同父异母的兄弟哈姆扎赫王子之间的紧张关系似乎有所缓和，几天前，哈姆扎赫王子被控卷入破坏约旦王国稳定的企图。该看法是在阿卜杜拉的叔父哈桑和哈姆扎赫周一举行会议之后得出的。哈姆扎赫的兄弟哈希姆和他们的三个表兄弟也出席了调解。哈姆扎赫后来发表了一份署名声明。声明中写道：“鉴于过去两天的事态发展，我将任由国王陛下处置。”王子补充说，他将继续忠于国王和约旦宪法。当天早些时候，哈姆扎赫用挑衅的口吻说自己不会呆在家里，尽管政府命令他命令他这样做。他还表示不会停止与外界的沟通。约旦官员指责哈姆扎赫“恶意密谋”反对政府。哈姆扎赫否认参与此事，称自己因公开反对腐败和治理不力而成为众矢之的。至少有14人因涉嫌参与阴谋而被捕。

Top Democrats¹⁰ on the Senate Finance Committee on Monday proposed major shifts in former President Donald Trump's 2017 tax reforms to eliminate what they say are incentives¹¹ for companies to move operations overseas and shift profits to tax haven¹² countries. The plan parallels some of the corporate¹³ tax hike proposals announced last week by President Joe Biden to finance $2 trillion in U.S. infrastructure¹⁴ investment. The senators are targeting provisions in a law that governs how companies' foreign income is taxed. The Democratic plan would not repeal¹⁵ those taxes but modify them to move them closer to the main corporate rate. The plans would create new incentives for investment in jobs in the United States. The proposal will likely face strong opposition¹⁶ from Republicans, who criticize Mr. Biden's plans to roll back their party's Trump-era legislative¹⁷ achievement as putting U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage. It could pass with only Democratic votes as part of Biden's larger infrastructure plan, but this would require all 50 Senate Democrats to support it. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton, VOA news.

参议院金融委员会的民主党高层周一提议对前总统特朗普2017年的税收改革进行重大转变，取消鼓励企业将业务转移到海外，并将利润转移到避税国的激励措施。这项计划与美国总统拜登上周宣布的一些企业增税提议相似，拜登提议为美国基础设施投资2万亿美元。参议员们的目标是制定一项管理公司海外收入如何征税的法律条款。民主党的计划不会废除这些税收，而是对其进行修改，使其更接近主要企业税率。这些计划将为美国的就业投资创造新的激励机制。这一提议很可能会遭到共和党人的强烈反对，共和党人批评拜登计划撤销特朗普执政时的共和党立法成就，认为这将使美国企业处于竞争劣势。作为拜登更大的基础设施计划的一部分，这项计划只能在民主党人的支持下通过，但这需要参议院所有50名民主党人的支持。我是玛丽莎·梅尔顿，为您远程报道美国之音新闻。

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 paternal   

adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的

参考例句：

• I was brought up by my paternal aunt.我是姑姑扶养大的。
• My father wrote me a letter full of his paternal love for me.我父亲给我写了一封充满父爱的信。

3 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

4 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

5 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

6 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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

12 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

13 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

14 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

15 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

16 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

17 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。