奧巴馬提議徵收石油稅 Obama proposes $10 per barrel oil tax

The White House is proposing a bold $10 per barrel tax on oil in a move that immediately sparked a backlash from an energy industry buckling under the pressure of low prices.

美國白宮正在提議一項大膽的石油稅，對每桶石油徵稅10美元，此舉立刻引發了能源業的強烈反彈。目前，處於低位的油價帶來的壓力快把能源業壓垮了。

The proposal was contained in a budget plan that the Republican-led Congress will ensure is never enacted, but it is likely to force the Democratic candidates for president to sharpen their positions on energy.

該提議包含在一份預算規劃中，而共和黨主導的美國國會將力求讓這份規劃永遠不會獲得通過。不過，該提議很可能會迫使民主黨總統競選人明確他們在能源問題上的立場。

The oil industry said that the tax would raise the cost of petrol by 25 cents per gallon and undo the shale energy revolution.

石油業表示，這項稅會令每加侖汽油的成本增加25美分，而且會讓頁岩能源革命前功盡棄。

The White House said that the tax would encourage a shift away from an oil-dependent transportation system and provide revenue that it would use to pay for much-needed infrastructure investment.

白宮表示，該稅會鼓勵人們減少使用依賴石油的交通運輸系統，而稅收收入可用來爲亟需的基建投資買單。

Jeff Zients, director of the White House’s national economic council, told reporters that it would be paid by oil companies, but not at the wellhead where oil is produced.

白宮國家經濟委員會(National Economic Council)主任傑夫倠榟茨(Jeff Zients)向記者們表示，該稅將由石油企業支付。

To ensure a “level playing field” for American oil producers in the global market, Mr Zients added that the tax would not be levied on exported oil products but would apply to imports.

齊恩茨補充說，爲確保美國石油生產商在全球市場擁有“公平的競爭環境”，該稅將不對出口的石油產品徵收，但將適用於進口的石油產品。

Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, said: "Once again, the president expects hardworking consumers to pay for his out-of-touch climate agenda. A $10 tax for every barrel of oil produced would raise energy prices — hurting poor Americans the most.”

美國衆議院議長保羅帠襴(Paul Ryan)表示：“總統又一次地指望勤奮工作的消費者爲他脫離現實的氣候議程買單。每產一桶油就收10美元的稅，這會推高能源價格，受傷最深的將是美國的窮人。”

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, who are vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, have sought to outdo each other with their attacks on fossil fuels and calls for action on climate change.

正在爭奪民主黨總統候選人提名的希拉裏克林頓(Hillary Clinton)和伯尼儠德斯(Bernie Sanders)，已試圖通過抨擊化石燃料和呼籲就氣候變化採取行動來力壓彼此一頭。

Mr Zients declined to comment on whether the White House was seeking to influence Mr Obama’s potential successors, but did say: “No one’s arguing about the challenges facing our transportation system, but no one wants to talk about how to pay for it. [What] the president’s putting forward here is a smart, strategic approach.”

齊恩茨拒絕評論白宮是否是在嘗試影響奧巴馬的潛在繼任者，但他的確表示：“沒人在討論我們交通運輸系統面臨的挑戰，也沒人想談談如何爲此買單。總統這裏提議的，是一種明智而有戰略意義的做法。”

He added that the White House expected the oil industry to pass on some of the costs to consumers, a point that the oil lobby implicitly confirmed.

他補充說，白宮預計石油業會把部分成本轉嫁給消費者，石油業遊說組織也含蓄地證實了這點。

Jack Gerard, chief executive of the American Petroleum Association, which represents the industry, said: “The White House thinks Americans are not paying enough for gasoline, so they have proposed a new tax that could raise the cost of gasoline by 25 cents a gallon, harm consumers that are enjoying low energy prices, destroy American jobs and reverse America’s emergence as a global energy leader.”

代表石油業利益的美國石油學會(American Petroleum Institute)的首席執行官傑克瀠拉德(Jack Gerard)表示：“白宮認爲美國人爲汽油交的錢還不夠多，因此他們提議了一項新的稅種，可能會令每加侖汽油的成本升高25美分，傷害正享受較低能源價格的消費者，毀掉美國的就業，將美國崛起爲全球能源領袖的進程逆轉。”