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施罗德为避税开起小车
柏林:周末,德国总理施罗德在返回位于汉诺威市的家时,宁愿开着妻子的大
众牌汽车,也不愿因乘坐防弹高级轿车而纳税,这是德国《图片报》于上周四报道
的。《图片报》说如果乘坐政府的防弹汽车去柏林上下班,施罗德总理每月就要付
686马克(约2800元人民币)的税。
在多数国家,使用防弹汽车被视为政界高官拥有的一种普通福利,或是对国家
领导人提供安全保护的一项重要措施。而德国则采取了对这种“福利”征收重税的
办法。施罗德总理如果在回汉诺威的家时乘坐政府的车,就必须付得更多,因此他
转而开妻子的小车办私事或去参加网球比赛,但是保镖们却乘坐豪华防弹汽车跟着
他。
“这一场面真有趣”,《图片报》的专栏作家马印哈尔特·麦郝思写道,“这
不仅是因为施罗德总理必须缩着肚子坐在大众汽车的方向盘后面,而且还因为他的
保镖们总是开着豪华车紧随其后。”据麦郝思所描述,看到总理车队的人们常常感
到奇怪,当总理从一辆小车的方向盘后面挪出来时,保镖们却从豪华轿车里冒了出
来。
BERLIN(Reuters)-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder prefers
to drive his wife?s Volkswagen when he visits his weekend
home in Hamburg rather than pay taxes for riding in a
bullet-proof limousine, the Bild newspaper reported on
Thursday. Bild said the chancellor has to pay 686 marks (
2,800) in tax each month for being chauffeured in
bullet-proof government cars to and from work in Berlin.
In most countries access to bullet-proof limousines is
regarded as a normal (tax-free) perquisite of high political
office or as a key element in providing security for
national leaders. Germany chooses to place heavy taxes on
such \"benefits\". Chancellor Schroeder would have to pay even
more if he took rides in the government-owned cars when
visiting his private residence in Hamburg. Instead he uses
his wife?s small car to run errands or to go to tennis
matches, but is trailed by bodyguards in a bullet-proof limo.
\"It?s an amusing sight,\" Bild columnist Mainhardt Mayhauss
wrote. \"Not because the statesman Schroeder has to pull in
his belly to fit behind the wheel of the VW, but because
his bodyguards are always following behind in the big car.\"
According to Mr Mayhauss, people who watch the convoy arrive
are usually surprised to see bodyguards emerge from the limo
while the chancellor hops out from behind the wheel of the
smaller car. |
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