Text в Taxes

Taxes are a compulsory financial contribution by a person or body of persons towards Ihe expenditure of a public authority.

The government has a choice of taxing income, wealth or consump­tion to finance its expenditure on defence, social services, municipal services etc.

The main forms of direct tax are income tax paid by individuals and corporation tax paid by businesses. Income tax in Great Britain dates from the 1790s and has until recently been the major source to generate tax revenue. Income tax can be progressive, proportional or regressive. The idea of a progressive tax is to take more from those who earn more.

Indirect taxes are imposed on certain products or services that peo­ple buy. The main ones are value added tax and excise duties.

Pressure to increase government expenditure may lead to a search of new taxes.

Some people argue for a more direct link between specific taxes and particular items of government expenditure. For example, taxes from motorists could be spent on roads and the transport system while the tax from alcohol and tobacco could be spent on the national health service. But it is impossible for the government to match all individual taxes with particular spending programmes.

The major principles of a tax system are that it should be equitable and reasonable. Then the incentive to avoid and evade tax would be less. The system of tax collection shouldn't be costly and shouldn't contain a lot of tax allowances and exemptions.

Vocabulary List

corporation lax - корпоративный на­лог

generate v — производить progressive adj - прогрессивный proportional adj — пропорциональный regressive adj - регрессивный indirect tax — косвенный налог impose v — вводить (налог)

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Comprehension Questions

1. What definition of taxes is given in the text?

2. What can be taxed to raise money to finance the expenditure on defence, social services etc.?

3. How are taxes classified'.'

4. What tax in the U К has been the major source lo generate tax revenue for years?

5. How can income tax be charged?

6. How do people want governments to spend the money collected in taxes?

7. What should be the major principles of a tax system?

Exercises

Ex. 32. Find in Ihe text English equivalents for Ihe following Russian words and phrases:

pressure n - давление

argue (for) v - зд. приводить доводы и

пользу link n — связь specific adj — конкретный particular adj - id. отдельный motorist n — агатомобилист, владелец

автотранспортного средства while с/ — в то время как alcohol n — алкогольный напиток tobacco n - табак

налоги — это обязательные платежи;

расходы органов власти; налогообложение дохода, бо­гатства иди потребления; финансировать расходы на оборону, социальные услуги, муниципальные услуги; прямой налог; подоходный налог; источник для получения на­логовых доходов; прогрессивный налог;

national health service - национальная

система здравоохранения match v — увязывать principle n — принцип equitable adj — справедливый incentive n - стимул avoid taxes - избегать уплаты налогов

(неумышленно)

evade taxes — избегать уплаты налогов tax allowance — налоговая льгота tax exemption - налоговое освобожде­ние

• вводить налоги; -НДС;

• акцизы;

• непосредственная связь;

• конкретные налоги;

• основные принципы налого­ вой системы;

• справедливый и разумный;

— стимул;

- уклоняться от уплаты налогов;

— система сбора налогов;

- налоговые льготы и освобож­ дения.

Ex. 33. Match the infinitives in Л with the nouns in B.

A

to tax to finance to impose to generate to increase to spend to contain

В

allowances and exemptions

income

defence

expenditure

money

taxes

tax revenues

Ex. 34. a) Read the text and translate it into Russian, h) Say what you know about tax­ation in Russia.

The Federal Tax Service in Russia is a relatively new organisation, but its role is becoming very important because the private sector is developing fast.

Taxation is the most important factor in implementing economic reforms.

The Russian Government is trying lo lower the tax burden and lo simplify the tax system.

For example, the government departed from Ihe progressive income lax system and introduced a flat income tax which individuals pay at a 13% rate irrespective of the income.

There are plans to reduce profit tax and VAT. The government is going to eliminate some tax allowances and exemptions.

Words and word combinations you may need

irrespective of — пне 'зависимости or...

at a rale — по ставке

eliminate v — отменять, уничтожить

tax burden — налоговое бремя simplify i - упрощать depart from v — отходить от чего-л. Па( income tax - единый подоходный налог

tx. 35. Write verbs and nouns which arc frequently used with the word "taxes", com­pare the list with your partner's list.

Ex. 36. Read the interview with the financier and sum up his assessment of the situation with the budget.

Interviewer: The work on the drafi budget is over and it has been submitted to the Government for consideration. How do you assess the draft?

Financier: 1 like the budget. It provides for a surplus.

In!.: It's great. Bui don't you foresee problems with servicing the foreign debt? F.: No, the debt will be repaid under the schedule. We have reseives for that.

Int.: I see. You mean money from privatisation, from the sale of oil and other raw materials, don't you?

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F.: Yes, you are right, First of all, 1 mean export receipts from foreign eco­nomic activity. But then, I'd like to stress, we are learning to manage the federal budget expenditure better. Int.: The Treasury contributes lo that, doesn't it?

F.: Yes, it docs. Int.: Let's hope the, draft will be passed in four readings by the I⁴ of January.

F.: Let's hope the legislative branch adopts the budget without delay. Int.: How is the budget for this year being implemented? F.: It's being implemented according to the approved appropriations. Though spending^ on health, education and science have been increased, personal incomes have gone up too, I mean wages and pensions. There is no deficit. Int.: It's nice to hear lhat, but as far as 1 know, administrative speridings have

gone up. F.: Yes, you ate right. It's a problem.

Words and word combinations you may need

treasury» - казначейство

legislative branch - законодательная ветвь иласти

approved appropriations - утвержден­ные ассигнования

personal incomes — доходь' населения

deficit n — дефицит

assess v - оценивать provide for v — предусматривать surplus n - профицит foresee v — предвидеть dcbl n — долг

export receipts - экспортные поступ­ления manage v - управлять

Ex. 37. Say/Write what you know about "the budget", the Russian budget and its adop­tion procedure.

Ex. 38. TVanslate the texts into Russian and analyse grammatical and lexical problems of the translation with your teacher.

a) Tin- Federal Budget

The federal budget of the US provides an analysis of expected future rev­enue and a detailed plan of spending for the upcoming year. The budget is prepared under the supervision of the President. Then it is submitted to Con­gress for modification and approval. Budget accounts are audited at the close of each year. Except for areas of national security, all citizens have the righ' to review the audits and inspect how public funds were received and spent.

The successive stages in budgeting - preparation, authorisation, execu­tion and audit are known as the budget cycle. The budget is designed to ir.di-

cate major categories of revenue sources such as personal income tax, sales tax, profit tax etc.

Expenditures are listed by government departments and agencies, and are often enumerated in broad terms such as amounts for health, national securi­ty or education.

Preparation of the budget is a complex political process. The President makes the final decision on how much to request from Congress for different spheres and programmes. If the budget bill is approved by the House of Rep­resentatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for signature.