尼日尔数千人要求废除商品增值税

 

Thousands in Niger Demand Abolition¹ of Tax

尼日尔数千人要求废除商品增值税

 

In Niger, consumer and anti-poverty groups demonstrated again Saturday to demand the abolition of a value-added tax on basic goods and services. Neither the government nor protest leaders are making progress toward resolving the crisis.

 

Several thousand people marched through the streets of Niger's capital, Niamey, toward parliament, protesting a tax that has increased the price of staples² like milk, rice and sugar by 19 percent.

 

The protesters loudly denounced the supporters of the tax in government, whom they called "enemies of the people."

 

Saturday's march was the first to be held in the capital since the government banned street protests after demonstrations³ in March ended in violence.

 

Police were deployed⁴ on main roads to oversee⁵ marchers. In the northern town of Agadez, several protesters were reportedly injured when they clashed with police, but in Niamey, the protest went ahead without problems.

 

One of the protesters at the march in the capital said that the tax is not legitimate⁶, because people can no longer afford to live.

 

He said that the tax law must be abolished.

 

The leader of a group called the coalition⁷ for Quality and Fairness Against Costly⁸ Living, Nouhou Arzika, who was recently released from jail along with five other protest leaders, has helped lead a series of strikes and protests across Niger in the past month.

 

Mr. Arzika says that, if the government needs more funds, it should spend less and save money, and not impose the tax on the people. Eighty five percent of Nigeriens live on less than $2 a day.

 

A government spokesperson, Ben Omar Mohammed, says the government needs to raise money, in order to live up to the demands of the International Monetary⁹ Fund and regional banks.

 

Mr. Mohammed says that negotiations¹⁰ with the anti-tax movement's leaders began late Friday. But, he says, Niger's civil society continues to maintain an extreme position in demanding that the tax law be entirely¹¹ abolished.

 

The tax has come at a particularly difficult time, when low rainfall and locust¹² infestations¹³ have meant poor harvests for Nigeriens. The government estimates that over 3.5 million people could suffer food shortages in the coming year.

 

Gabi Menezes, VOA news, Abidjan.

 

注释：

Niger [5naidVE] n. 尼日尔（非洲中西部国家）

anti-poverty [5Anti5pCvEti] adj. 反贫穷的

abolition [AbE5liFEn] n. 废除

value-added tax （商品）增值税

Niamey [7nja:5mei] n. 尼亚美（尼日尔首都）

a series of 一连串的

live up to 实践，做到

regional bank 美国设在联邦储备区的联邦储备银行

rainfall [5reinfC:l] n. 降雨，降雨量

locust [5lEukEst] n. [动]蝗虫，蚱蜢

1 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

2 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

13 infestations   

n.（害虫、盗贼等）群袭，出没，横行( infestation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The arrival of warm weather raises the specter of disease and increased rat infestations caused by rotting garbage. 天气转暖使人们担心垃圾腐烂会引起疾病传播和鼠群猖獗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Piperazine citrate is the drug of choice in the treatment of Ascaris infestations. 枸橼酸哌嗪治疗蛔虫感染是最好的药物。 来自辞典例句