富豪太多也让政府头疼

2012-04-23 00:00:00来源：可可英语

　　Politicians around the world face a problem when it comes to the overseas rich. They want the spending, taxes and investment that comes with the foreign wealthy. But politicians don't want to appear to voters as favoring the foreign have-mores over the local middle class.

　　如何处理与移民富豪的关系是摆在全球各国政治家面前的一个棘手问题。政治家们希望移民富豪为本国带来消费、纳税和投资，但又不希望给选民留下偏爱外国有钱人而冷落本国中产阶级的印象。
　　These tensions have played out in the U.K., Switzerland, and even Monaco. Now, they're bursting out into the open in Singapore.
　　英国、瑞士乃至摩纳哥都面临着这类矛盾。而现在，这些矛盾在新加坡也开始变得尖锐起来。
　　According to news reports, Singapore is ending a program that allowed wealthy foreigners to 'fast track' their permanent residency if they kept at least S$10 million in assets in the country for five years. The moves are aimed at slowing the rapid surge in property prices, which have been driven in part by wealthy investors and which have rankled Singaporeans.
　　据媒体报道，新加坡即将关闭针对外国富人的移民“快捷通道”。按照现行政策，如果外国富人将至少1,000万新元资产在新加坡保留五年，就可以通过“快捷通道”获得永久居民身份。取消此项政策旨在减缓房地产价格的迅速上涨，房地产价格上涨导致新加坡人怨声载道，而价格的上涨在一定程度上是由富有的投资者推动的。
　　A bungalow in Singapore's Sentosa Cove recently sold for a whopping $39 million.
　　新加坡升涛湾(Sentosa Cove)一幢单层别墅近期售价高达3,900万美元。
　　Singapore still allows wealthy people to get permanent residency. But rather than simply keeping money in the country, they have to invest S$2.5 million in a new company or business. And these rules may also tighten soon.
　　新加坡仍然允许富人获得永久居民身份。但新规定要求富人不仅要把资金留在新加坡国内，而且要投资250万新元用于创建公司或者拓展现有业务。此外，相关规定不久之后可能会更加严格。
　　Foreigners and permanent residents now make up a third of the population. And Singapore now leads the world in 'millionaire density': 15.5% of all its households are millionaire-households.
　　外国人和永久居民目前占新加坡人口的三分之一。新加坡目前的“百万富翁密度”居全球之首：15.5%的家庭拥有上百万美元资产。
　　The question is whether the government's actions will work. With so many wealthy Chinese, Indonesians, Russians, Middle Easterners and Europeans looking to offshore their money into safe, stable havens, the rich may continue pouring money into the Singapore regardless.
　　政府的举措能否奏效还要打一个问号。中国、印尼、俄罗斯、中东和欧洲有许许多多富人寻求将资金转移到安全稳定的避风港，尽管政策有变，但他们可能还会继续将资金注入新加坡。
　　Do you think countries should offer special visas and residencies for the rich?
　　读者朋友，您认为政府应该为富人提供特殊签证和居留身份吗？