奥巴马：富人必须多交税

只看该作者 · 2012-11-27 17:10

US President Obama has reiterated his call for high earners in the US to pay more in taxes, in his first news conference since winning re-election.

美国总统奥巴马连任后的首场记者招待会上，重申了美国高收入者缴更多税的号召。

He called for quick legislation to rule out tax rises on the first $250,000 of income, but refused to extend cuts for the wealthiest 2%.

"We should not hold the middle class hostage while we debate tax cuts for the wealthy," Mr Obama said.

The US faces an end-of-year "fiscal cliff" of spending cuts and tax rises.

The fiscal cliff would see the George W Bush-era tax cuts expire in combination with automatic, across-the-board reductions to military and domestic spending.

Loophole offer

Some $607bn of savings and tax rises are planned, including reductions in the defence budget, the end of an employee tax holiday, changes to Medicare allowances and higher personal taxes.

The lower paid are set to lose some child and income credits, but Mr Obama has made fewer references to other portions of the stimulus deal set to expire beyond the tax cuts.

The fiscal cliff is due to take effect because Congress failed to reach a deal on deficit reduction after a stand-off over the US debt ceiling in mid-2011.

Congressional Republicans have said since last week's US elections that they are open to raising revenue through tax reform and closure of loopholes, but oppose tax rises on the wealthy.

Glenn Hubbard, an economic adviser to Republican Mitt Romney's failed presidential bid, writing in the Financial Times, called on fellow Republicans to accept the need for the rich to pay more tax, albeit through closing loopholes such as tax deductions.

Other Republicans favour ending the right of Americans to deduct mortgage interest payments from their taxable income - something analysts say is likely to hurt the middle classes far more than top earners.

During his news conference on Wednesday, Mr Obama was dismissive of a loophole-only reform, telling reporters that "the math tends not to work" in helping to cut $1 trillion in the US deficit.

"It really is arithmetic, not calculus," he said.

只看该作者 · 2012-11-27 17:14

米歇尔演讲总能让奥巴马落泪

US President Barack Obama tells a Virginia campaign crowd that he will try not to let his daughters see him cry during the first lady's convention speech on Tuesday night.

美国总统巴拉克?奥巴马在弗吉尼亚州进行竞选宣传时告诉民众说，周二晚上第一夫人在大会上演讲时，他会尽量不让女儿看见自己掉泪。

Obama says he will try not to let his daughters see him cry during the first lady's convention speech on Tuesday night.

Speaking to a large crowd of supporters in the military town of Norfolk, US President Barack

Obama said he will spend Tuesday night at the White House, watching First Lady Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

He told the crowd he hopes his daughters, Malia and Sasha, do not see him tear up during his wife's remarks. "When Michelle talks, I get a little misty（模糊的，有雾的）," he said.

Mr Obama heads to Charlotte on Wednesday afternoon. This was his fifth campaign event in the past four days, including appearances in Iowa, Colorado and Ohio.

The US President highlighted what he said were differences between him and his rival, Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

"Now, the other side may not be eager to talk about their ideas, but on Thursday night I look forward to sharing mine with you," Mr Obama said.

"I will offer what I consider a better path forward, a path to create good jobs and strengthen the middle-class and grow our

economy?. The good news, Virginia, is that in just two months you get to choose which path we take," he said.