Numerous ideas are being knocked back and forth now that Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has admitted there will be a $100 billion deficit for this financial year. It’s the third $100 billion deficit in a row. Ideas are being knocked back and forth among politicians, academics, and commentators on how to reduce the deficit. The expression “knocked back and forth” used this way means being pushed in opposite directions between two people or two groups of people. Some people have suggested cutting the salaries of Hong Kong’s highly paid government officials.
Others have pushed back with warnings that cutting the pay of civil servants and top officials will lead to lower pay in the private sector and weak consumption. Hong Kong will then get caught in a vicious circle. A vicious circle is a difficult situation which has the effect of creating new problems which then cause the original difficult situation to return. It is unacceptable to have deficits of $100 billion three years in a row. The government needs to trim the fat. To trim the fat means to cut excess fat from meat, but it also means to cut unnecessary expenditure.
Executive Councilor Ronny Tong Ka-wah has suggested raising the discounted public transport fare of $2 for the elderly to $3 to lower the deficit. This is an asinine idea. The word “asinine” means extremely stupid or silly. Raising the government-subsidized public transport fare for senior citizens by $1 will not reduce the deficit by much. Cutting the salaries of highly paid government officials, executive councilors, and legislative councilors will do much more to reduce the deficit. Merry Christmas to all!
現在財政司司長陳茂波承認，這個財政年度將會有一千億元赤字之後，社會來來往往（knocked back and forth）有好些想法在碰撞。這已經是連續第三個千億元赤字了。在政客、學術界和評論員之間，來來回回（knocked back and forth）都在爭拗各種怎樣減低赤字的構思。習語knocked back and forth在這裏是指，一些想法在對立的兩個人或兩班人之間推來推去，爭持不下。一些人建議，應該削減香港高薪厚祿的政府官員的薪金。
另一些人則反擊，警告指削減公務員和高官的薪酬，將會導致私人市場的減薪及疲弱消費。這樣，香港就會墮進一個vicious circle——a vicious circle就是惡性循環，是一個困難的境況，當中衍生的新問題會影響原有的難題復返。連續第三年有一千億元赤字是不能接受的。政府好應 trim the fat——to trim the fat是切除肉類上的肥膏，但它也指要削減不必要的開支。
行政會議成員湯家驊則建議，將長者乘搭公共交通的兩元車資優惠提高至三元，以減低赤字。這真是個 asinine的想法。Asinine是指特別愚蠢的。給政府資助長者的公共交通車費增加一元，並不能為財赤減低多少。削減那些高薪酬的政府官員、行政會議成員以及立法會議員的薪酬，就真的能大大減低財赤了。祝大家聖誕快樂！
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
