英國"報銷門" 引發高管的報銷誠信

Twice in the past few weeks senior business people have taken it upon themselves to tell me how modest their expense claims are. Each assured me there were all sorts of things they were perfectly entitled to claim for that they chose to finance out of their own pockets.
過去幾周裏，有資深商業人士兩度向我傾訴，他們申請報銷費用是多麼地節制。每個人都向我保證有很多東西他們完全有權申請報銷，但他們都選擇了自己掏口袋。

The conclusion I was meant to draw was that they were fine, upstanding people and great role models in business. The conclusion drew was that they were part of a tiresome new fashion in Britain: claiming that you are under-claiming. Last week, Barclaycard published a survey saying that executives routinely under-claim on business travel, and that the more senior you are, the less you claim. The average chairman under-claims by £719 a year, apparently.
他們希望我得出的結論是：他們正派而誠實，是優秀的商界榜樣。但我真正得出的結論是，他們不過是英國一種惱人新風尚的追隨者：宣稱自己申報的費用比實際開支少。最近，巴克萊卡(Barclaycard)的一份調查顯示，企業高管在申報出差費用時經常少報金額，而且越資深的高管申報的越少。顯然，董事會主席平均每年會少報719英鎊。

Does this mean that in business, as opposed to politics, there is no titillating story on expenses? That business people are better people than parliamentarians?
這是否意味着，和政壇截然相反，商業領域不存在讓人豎起耳朵的報銷醜聞？是不是商業人士比議員更正派呢？

It means nothing of the sort. The expense accounts of executives are fascinating documents, though what story they tell can be devilishly hard to work out.
根本不是那麼回事兒。高管的報銷清單引人入勝，然而它們背後隱藏的故事很難説清楚。