世界經濟論壇在雅加達舉行

Participants at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Indonesia are calling on governments in Asia to lead the world in reducing poverty.

在印尼首都雅加達參與世界經濟論壇的各國代表，呼籲亞洲國家的政府領導全世界進行減少貧困的努力。

In the year 2000, 192 countries agreed to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and significantly reduce child mortality rates by 2015.

2000年，有192個國家同意支持聯合國千禧年發展目標。這項目標設定於2015年之前，消除世界上極度貧困現象，以及減少兒童的死亡率。

In the years since, many Asian countries have experienced sustained double digit economic growth that has raised the living standards of millions of people.

從那以後，許多亞洲國家都歷經二位數字的經濟增長，提升了千百萬人民的生活水平。

But Rajat Nag, Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank, joined a panel of economists and leaders at the World Economic Forum in Jakarta who say governments must do more to meet the Millennium Development goals.

但是亞洲開發銀行常務總幹事拉雅·納格說，在這次論壇的經濟學家及領袖座談會中說，爲了達到聯合國千禧年發展目標，各國政府還須要做得更多。

Nag says despite the robust growth, 900 million people still live on $1.25 a day, 450 million people lack access to clean water, and more than 100 million children still die each year during childbirth.

納格說，儘管有強勁的經濟增長，世界上仍有九億人每天僅靠1.25美元的收入爲生。還有四億五千萬人得不到清潔用水。每年還有一億多嬰兒在出生時夭折。

He says governments in Asia must do more to fund basic nutrition programs, provide health care and education. Nag says paying for these programs will mean significantly raising taxes.

他說，亞洲各國政府對基本的營養計劃，醫療照顧和教育，提供更多的資助。他說提供這些資助，就必須增加稅收。

“In Asia the average taxes collected as a percentage of GDP is likely under 10 percent. In the developed world it is easily 20 percent. So there is a huge amount of public resource mobilization which needs to happen. Not just by raising tax rates but by increasing the tax base, improving the tax collection,” said Nag.

納格說：“亞洲國家的稅率，依國內生產總值計算，似乎還不到百分之10。而在發達國家中，通常都是百分之20。因此在公共資源的調度上，還要開闢很大的來源。這不僅須要調升稅率，還要要擴大稅收基礎，改進稅收制度。”Indonesian Vice President Boediono says while significant progress in reducing poverty has been made in his country, he agrees that more programs and increased tax revenues are needed to address the problem.

印尼副總統布迪約諾說，他的國家雖然已經在降低貧困方面獲致明顯的的進展，他同意增加更多的計劃，並且以增加稅收的方式，解決貧困問題。

“I belong to the school that the government should play an appropriate role and even in and especially in the social program, should intervene, proactively. And this requires financing and that I think has to be, to come from our own resources,” stated Boediono.

布迪約諾說：“我同意政府在這方面應該擔任適當的角色，甚至在社會計劃方面，應該採取主動介入的態度。這些做法，需要財務上的配合。我認爲這些資金必須來自我們自己的資源。”

American economist and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs says Asian countries experiencing robust economic growth should shoulder the responsibility for poverty reduction with a mix of public and private initiatives. He says the slow economic recovery in the developed world has left Europe looking inward and the United States overly focused on cutting taxes.

美國哥倫比亞大學地球研究所主任，經濟學家傑弗裏·薩克斯說，亞洲國家歷經強勁的經濟增長，就該凝聚公共和私有的力量，擔負起降低貧困的責任。他說，發達國家中緩慢的經濟復甦，已經促使歐洲國家忙於自顧，而美國過度專注於減稅問題。

“My own country the United States wants it for free. We're on a constant tax cutting binge. The rich want no taxes," said Sachs. "They say let the market do it but we end up without the social policy. We have lots of poverty. We end up without the environmental policy.”

薩克斯說：“我的國家美國希望不必付出任何代價就能減稅。我們處在不斷減稅的熱潮。富有的人希望不用繳稅。他們說，讓市場來調節這些。而我們最後變得沒有社會政策。我們有了很多窮人，我們結果連環保政策也沒有了。”

While U.S. income tax rates are still higher than those in Asia, they remain lower than those in European countries. Opponents of higher taxes say they inhibit economic growth from private business that ultimately does more to lift people out of poverty.

雖然美國的稅率還是高於亞洲各國，但比起歐洲各國，還是較低。反對增稅的人士說，增稅妨礙了私有企業的發展，私有企業最終在脫貧方面，能作更多的貢獻。

Sachs says Asia's dynamic economic growth in recent years also brings an increased responsibility to meet its pledge to eradicate extreme poverty in the next four years.

薩克斯說，亞洲國家近年來強勁的經濟增長，也爲了在未來四年達成消除極度貧困目標的承諾，加重了責任。