Warren Buffett defended his proposal to raise taxes on high earners, saying at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s annual meeting that those with large incomes should pay more in the name of fairness.
伯克希尔-哈撒韦公司(Berkshire Hathaway Inc.)的股东年度会议上，巴菲特(Warren Buffett)为其提高高收入者税负的提议辩护说，为了公平起见，收入多的人应当付出更多。
The billionaire investor also said the cash-rich company recently came close to landing a megaacquisition. He fielded a host of questions about how Berkshire might boost its shares, which have largely sat out the stock rally of the past two years.
这位富豪投资家还说，现金充足的伯克希尔公司最近曾接近于达成一笔数额庞大的收购。他回答了一系列涉及伯克希尔怎样才能提升其股价的问题。过去两年股市的反弹基本与伯克希尔无缘。
Saturday's meeting was the first appearance before shareholders by Mr. Buffett, the company's chief executive, since the 81-year-old said last month he has early-stage prostate cancer.
上周六的这次年会，是81岁的巴菲特自上个月称自己患有早期前列腺癌以来第一次出现在公司股东的面前。
Mr. Buffett said Saturday that he feels 'terrific' and views the cancer as a 'nonevent' that hasn't changed his work habits.
身为伯克希尔首席执行长的巴菲特上周六表示身体状态良好，认为癌症不足挂齿，并说癌症没有改变他的工作习惯。
The company's board has designated a man to succeed Mr. Buffett as CEO but hasn't named or told him. A proposal by a union-affiliated investment fund for greater succession transparency was defeated by shareholders, though Mr. Buffett told the sponsor that 'we are on the same page' in placing a high value on planning.
伯克希尔董事会已指定一人继承巴菲特的CEO职位，但没有对外宣布是谁，也没有告诉这个人。一家与工会有关联的投资基金曾建议伯克希尔在CEO继任人问题上增加透明度，但这一提议被该公司股东们拒绝。不过巴菲特对该建议的提出人说，在重视规划方面，我们的想法是一样的。
'I'm perfectly fine with the level of disclosure we have,' said David Rolfe, chief investment officer at Berkshire Hathaway investor Wedgewood Partners Inc., a St. Louis advisory firm with $1.7 billion in assets under management.
管理资产17亿美元的圣路易斯顾问公司Wedgewood Partners Inc.是伯克希尔-哈撒韦公司的投资者。该公司首席投资长罗尔夫(David Rolfe)说，我对当前的披露水平完全没有意见。
The all-day event opened as always with a 7 a.m., doors-open sprint by dozens of shareholders to the floor seats directly in front of the raised table where Mr. Buffett sits alongside Vice Chairman Charlie Munger. The meeting was expected to draw more than 35,000 people.
持续了一天的这场年会像往常一样，早上7点钟门一打开，数十名投资者就涌向大厅内的地板座椅。他们正对面的高桌边坐着的就是巴菲特和伯克希尔公司副董事长芒格(Charlie Munger)。预计这次会议将吸引3.5万人参加。
Mr. Buffett, who owns roughly a third of Berkshire's stock, was asked repeatedly if he would consider expanding the conditions under which Berkshire may repurchase shares, and whether he will consider paying a dividend, a concept he has long opposed.
Berkshire shares have vastly outperformed the stock market over the course of Mr. Buffett's four decades at the helm but have lagged behind the S&P 500 index since 2010.
在巴菲特40年的掌管之下，伯克希尔的股价表现远远超过大市，但自2010年以来却一直落后于标准普尔500指数(S&P 500)的表现。
At one point Mr. Buffett mentioned, unprompted, that Berkshire recently considered a $22 billion acquisition. 'We would have liked to do it,' but the acquisition would have meant selling stocks Mr. Buffett would like to keep, he said.
The company had $37.83 billion in cash at the end of March and Mr. Buffett prefers not to go below $20 billion. He didn't provide any details about the target or the discussions.
截至3月底，伯克希尔公司拥有378.3亿美元的现金，而巴菲特希望公司的现金水平不低于200亿美元。他没有提到收购对象或谈判的细节。
The meeting was Berkshire's first since Mr. Buffett made headlines by saying those earning more than $1 million a year should pay a tax rate of at least 30%.
巴菲特曾表示，对年收入过100万美元者至少应适用30%的税率，这话引起了轰动。上周六的会议是伯克希尔公司从那时候以来的第一次年会。
One questioner asked whether a CEO should keep his political views 'muted,' prompting Mr. Buffett to respond that he has a duty to share his views on economic questions.
一位提问者问，身为CEO，是不是不应该表达政治观点。巴菲特回答说，他有责任在经济问题上分享自己的观点。
Mr. Buffett said higher taxes on high earners are part of necessary 'sacrifice' at a time when a fifth of households subsist on $21,000 or less annually.
巴菲特说，在五分之一的美国家庭以2.1万美元或以下的年收入勉强糊口之际，高收入者增加纳税是一种必要的"牺牲"。
He added that high earners paid higher rates up until tax-code changes over the past two decades sharply reduced the proportion of income paid by top earners.
他还说，在过去20年的税法修订造成高收入者所得税税率大幅降低之前，高收入者的税负一直比现在要重。
Colin Barr / Erik Holm
- annual [´ænjuəl]
a.每年的 n.年刊 (初中英语单词) - executive [ig´zekjutiv] a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词)
- cancer [´kænsə] n.癌；毒瘤 (初中英语单词)
- investment [in´vestmənt] n.投资；(时间等)投入 (初中英语单词)
- succession [sək´seʃən] n.继任；继承(权) (初中英语单词)
- concept [´kɔnsept] n.概念；观念；思想 (初中英语单词)
- respond [ri´spɔnd] v.回答；响应；有反应 (初中英语单词)
- sharply [´ʃɑ:pli] ad.锋利地；剧烈地 (初中英语单词)
- proportion [prə´pɔ:ʃən] n.比率 vt.使成比例 (初中英语单词)
- income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- perfectly [´pə:fiktli] ad.理想地；完美地 (高中英语单词)
- billion [´biljən] num.万亿 (高中英语单词)
- alongside [əlɔŋ´said] ad.在旁 prep.横靠 (高中英语单词)
- roughly [´rʌfli] ad.粗糙地；毛糙地 (高中英语单词)
- warren [´wɔrən] n.养兔场；大杂院 (英语四级单词)
- repeatedly [ri´pi:tidli] ad.反复地；再三地 (英语四级单词)
- dividend [´dividənd, -dend] n.被除数；股息 (英语四级单词)
- vastly [´vɑ:stli, ´væstli] ad.巨大地；广阔地 (英语四级单词)
- investor [in´vestə] n.投资者 (英语六级单词)
- landing [´lændiŋ] n.登陆；降落；楼梯平台 (英语六级单词)
- sponsor [´spɔnsə] n.&vt.发起(人) (英语六级单词)
- acquisition [,ækwi´ziʃən] n.获得；获得物 (英语六级单词)
- subsist [səb´sist] vi.生存；维持生命 (英语六级单词)
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