IMF呼籲世界各國取消能源補貼大綱

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The world could solve a large part of its fiscal problems by scrapping $2.4tn in energy subsidies, the International Monetary Fund declared yesterday.

國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)昨日宣稱，如果世界各國能取消總計2.4萬億美元的能源補貼，各國的財政問題可在很大程度上得到解決。

The fund’s call suggests higher fuel prices could become a central condition of IMF help in the future, with subsidies already proving a sticking point in its talks with countries such as Egypt, Pakistan and Ukraine.

IMF的呼籲顯示，提高能源價格可能成爲未來該組織提供援助的核心條件。能源補貼問題已成爲IMF與埃及、巴基斯坦和烏克蘭等國談判中的一個癥結。

David Lipton, first deputy managing director of the IMF, said countries should scrap fuel subsidies and charge for the cost of pollution – but said the fund was not yet ready to make carbon taxes a condition of its lending programmes.

IMF第一副總裁戴維•利普頓(David Lipton)表示，各國應廢除能源補貼，並對污染成本收費。但他表示，IMF尚未打算將徵收碳排放稅列爲其貸款計劃的條件之一。

“There are 20 countries that spend more than 5 per cent of GDP on energy subsidies,” said Mr Lipton. “It leads to a fiscal problem because the subsidies are so big that it threatens the fiscal sustainability of the country.”

利普頓說：“目前有20個國家在能源補貼上的支出超過其國內生產總值(GDP)的5%。補貼太高會威脅一國財政的可持續性，從而引發財政問題。”

For the first time, the IMF has put a price on the worldwide fiscal cost of energy subsidies. It says regular subsidies, where the price of fuel is lower than the cost of producing it, amount to $480bn, mainly in developing countries.

這是IMF首次給出全球能源補貼財政成本的總金額。IMF表示，各國提供的常規能源補貼（燃料價格低於燃料生產成本）總計達4800億美元（主要是由發展中國家提供的）。

But indirect subsidies, where countries do not fully charge energy users for the costs of pollution and congestion, add another $1.9tn, with 40 per cent in the developed world, the IMF says. Those figures are likely to be controversial because they count untaxed carbon emissions as a subsidy but do not include tax breaks for renewable energy such as wind.

但除此之外，各國提供的間接補貼（指不向能源使用者收取全額的污染費和擁堵費）總計達1.9億美元（其中40%是由發達國家提供的）。這些數字可能存在爭議，因爲IMF將未徵稅的碳排放也算作一項補貼，而風能等可再生能源享受的稅收優惠卻未被計算在內。

In absolute terms the top three energy subsidisers are the US at $502bn, $279bn in China, and $116bn in Russia, according to the fund.

IMF稱，以絕對金額計算，世界上能源補貼最多的三個國家分別是：美國（5020億美元）、中國（2790億美元）和俄羅斯（1160億美元）。

The IMF is calling on developing countries to replace fuel subsidies with cash payments to the poorest people. Introducing the payments first can help to make scrapping the subsidy more politically palatable, it says.

IMF呼籲發展中國家取消能源補貼，將節省下來的資金髮給本國最貧窮人羣。它表示，先行發放這類資金有助於讓取消能源補貼之舉在政治上變得更可接受。