大臣约翰·希利正在考虑在即将发布的预算案中提高银行税，对此，负责金融服务业事务的政府官员表示，工党政府深知打造具有全球竞争力的金融服务业的重要性。
The UK’s City minister said the Labour government understands the importance of a globally competitive financial services sector, as Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey considers whether to hike taxes on banks at his upcoming budget.
“我深知英国在这一领域的全球竞争力，”财政大臣露西·里格比周五在彭博电台接受采访时说道。当被问及提高银行税是否会对伦敦金融城造成负面影响时，她并未进一步置评。“税收事宜由财政大臣决定，他会在预算案中阐明相关立场。”里格比的这番言论正值10月28日希利发布预算案前夕，届时各大银行高管都将密切关注可能的增税措施。
“I am very keenly aware of our global competitiveness in this space,” Treasury minister Lucy Rigby said on Bloomberg Radio on Friday, when asked about the prospect of higher bank levies and whether it would damage the City, but declining to comment further. “Tax is a matter for the chancellor. He’s going to set out the position at the budget.”Rigby’s comments come ahead of Healey’s fiscal set-piece on Oct. 28, in which bank executives are bracing for potential higher taxes.
安迪·伯纳姆领导的工党政府既需为民众提供生活成本补贴，又需修复因美伊冲突冲击而受损的公共财政。里格比证实，本周她与希利一同在唐宁街会见了多家银行的高层，希利当时表示尚未就增税问题作出最终决定。
Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Labour administration needs to fund cost-of-living support for voters, while repairing public finances hit by the fallout of the US-Iran war. Rigby confirmed that she met bank bosses alongside Healey at Downing Street this week, where Healey said he hadn’t yet made a final decision on tax.
“我定期与金融行业的资深代表会面，”里格比说道，“正如预期那样，他们向我阐述了英国如何继续保持其作为全球领先金融服务中心的地位。”此次发言正值美国银行周五在贝尔法斯特开设办事处之际。尽管政府正考虑提高银行税，但仍希望此举能进一步提升英国作为全球金融枢纽的吸引力。
“I meet with senior representatives from the sector on a very regular basis,” Rigby said. “They, as you’d expect them to do, make the case to me about how the UK can continue to be the leading jurisdiction that we are for financial services.”Rigby was speaking after Bank of America Corp. opened an office in Belfast Friday, in a move the UK government hopes will boost the country’s standing as a global banking hub even as it considers the prospect of higher bank taxes.
去年9月，美国银行曾宣布计划在北爱尔兰首府贝尔法斯特创造多达1000个新就业岗位。这一举措正值唐纳德·特朗普总统访英期间，也是该行大规模金融服务业招聘计划的一部分。与此同时，移动支付公司Airtel Money也在同一天于伦敦证券交易所挂牌上市，这有望成为该交易所五年来规模最大的首次公开募股。
The US bank said it was set to create as many as 1,000 new jobs in the Northern Irish city in September last year, as part of a broader financial services jobs announcement that coincided with President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK. The opening also came on the day that mobile payments firm Airtel Money listed on the London Stock Exchange, in what may be the bourse’s largest initial public offering in five years.
“这些都是非常积极的举措，”里格比说道，“它们体现了外界对英国领先的金融服务行业的持续信心。”由于生活成本低于英国其他地区、劳动力薪酬水平较低且人才储备丰富，北爱尔兰如今已发展成为一个重要的金融服务中心。花旗集团在贝尔法斯特拥有超过4000名员工，此次特朗普到访之际，该集团也承诺将进一步扩大在当地的业务规模。
“These are all really good things,” Rigby said. “They represent that continued confidence in the UK’s leading financial services sector.”Northern Ireland has become a financial-services hub thanks to its cheaper cost of living compared with other parts of the UK, lower wages, and strong talent pool. Citigroup Inc. employs over 4,000 staff in Belfast, and committed to growing more as part of the Trump visit.
针对伯纳姆就任首相后鲜少提及伦敦金融城、这是否意味着他不支持英国金融服务行业的问题，里格比表示他其实是支持的。
Questioned on whether Burnham backs the UK’s financial services sector given his lack of mention for the City since becoming prime minister, Rigby said that he does.
“这对他而言当然很重要，”她补充道，“事实上，财政大臣在大会演讲中也谈到了金融服务行业，这也是意料之中的事。”
“Of course it matters to him,” she said. “And look, the chancellor talked about financial services in his conference speech, as you would expect him to do.”