trade deficit

贸易逆差（赤字）

economic stimulus

经济刺激

manufacturing sector

制造业部门

direct investment

直接投资

production capacity

生产能力

real wages

实际收入

economic instability

经济不稳定性

boom-and-bust cycle

经济繁荣与萧条交替循环

domestic consumption

国内消费

stock market bubble

股票市场泡沫

tax exemption

免税

value-added taxes

A tax on the estimated market value added to a product or material at each stage of its manufacture or distribution, ultimately passed on to the consumer. Because the consumer ultimately pays a higher price for the taxed commodity, a VAT is essentially a hidden sales tax. Originally introduced in France (1954), it is now a major part of the tax structure of most nations. 增值税

agricultural subsidies

农业补贴

trade liberalization

贸易自由化

fair trade

公平交易

foreign sales corporation

Foreign Sales Corporations (FSCs) is a tax term for a company incorporated in a foreign country that the United States qualifies as a host country. A country qualifies by entering into an exchange of information agreement of the type that allows tax benefits. It was a means formerly provided by United States taxation law for US companies to receive a reduction in US federal income taxes for profits derived from exports, through the use of an offshore subsidiary (a "Foreign Sales Corporation").海外销售公司

NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement)

NAFTA is a trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States, which entered into force on January 1, 1994. It was preceded in 1988 by a trade agreement covering Canada and the U.S-the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement which served as a negotiating framework for the expanded agreement. 北美自由贸易协定

“fast track” trade negotiating authority

The U.S. Constitution gives Congress exclusive authority to set tariffs and enact other legislation governing international trade. The President has the Constitutional authority to negotiate international agreements. If the President negotiates a trade agreement that requires changes in U.S. tariffs or in other domestic laws, that trade agreement’s implementing legislation must be submitted to Congress or the President must have Congress’ advance approval of such changes. Fast track is an expedited procedure for Congressional consideration of trade agreements. It requires Congress to vote on an agreement without reopening any of its provisions, while retaining the ultimate power of voting it up or down. Ultimately, fast track gives the President credibility to negotiate tough trade deals, while ensuring Congress a central role before, during and after negotiations.

Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)

The effort to unite the economies of the Western Hemisphere into a single free trade agreement began at the Summit of the Americas, which as held in December 1994 in Miami. The Heads of State and Government of the 34 countries in the region agreed to construct a Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA, in which barriers to trade and investment will be progressively eliminated, and to complete negotiations for the agreement by 2005. At the sixth Ministerial meeting, held in Buenos Aires, and at the Third Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City in April 2001, a number of key decisions were made regarding the FTAA negotiations, and deadlines were fixed for the conclusion and implementation of the FTAA Agreement. Negotiations are to be concluded no later than January 2005; entry into force will be sought as soon as possible thereafter, no later than December 2005. 美洲自由贸易区

House Appropriations Committee

On March2, 1865, the House of Representatives separated the appropriating and banking and currency duties from the Committee on Ways and Means, which was first established in 1789, and assigned them to two new committees—the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Banking and Currency. The new Committee on Appropriations now numbers 65 members with 35 Republicans, 29 Democrats and one independent. The Committee on Appropriations is chiefly in charge of appropriations bills. 众议院拨款委员会

District of Columbia

The capital of the USA, and the center of the American government. Most of its inhabitants are government employees. 哥伦比亚特区

Bethlehem Steel (Corporation)

Bethlehem Steel Corporation, headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is America’s second largest integrated steel producer manufacturing and selling a wide variety of steel mill products (including coke and iron ore). Its revenues were about $ 4.2 billion and shipments around 8.5 million tons of steel products in 2000. 伯利恒钢铁公司

foreign direct investment (FDI)

The fund committed to a foreign enterprise. The investor may gain partial or total control of the enterprise. An investor who buys 10 percent or move of the controlling shares of a foreign enterprise makes a direct investment. 外国直接投资

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

Established in 1947, GATT serves as a binding contract among over 100 national governments. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GATT provides the legal framework used to reduce trade barriers in an effort to facilitate international trade. The agreement was designed to provide an international forum that encouraged free trade between member states by regulating and reducing tariffs on traded goods and by providing a common mechanism for resolving trade disputes. 关税及贸易总协定

free trade

In international trade, free trade is an idealized market model, often stated as a political objective, wherein trade of goods and services between countries flows unhindered by government-imposed artificial costs. 自由贸易

fair trade

"Fair trade" is a term used by the trade justice movement to contrast with 'unfair' international trade practices, and sometimes, to contrast with free trade (unhindered trade).
The term "trade justice" emphasizes that even if the playing field were level, instead of tilted against developing countries, the poorest developing countries in particular would still struggle to gain from trade if forced to trade under free trade terms. This is because of their overwhelming lack of competitiveness - poor countries don't have huge stocks of exports waiting to be shipped to rich countries, instead most small farmers want to be able to sell their goods locally. So those calling for "trade justice" often also defend the right of developing country governments to follow protectionist trade policies. They believe that poor-country governments should have the right to choose their own trade policies to best promote food security and to protect the livelihoods of agricultural producers. 公平贸易

tax rebate/refund

Refund of overpaid taxes from the government to the taxpayer. Refunds are due when the taxpayer has been overwithholding or has overestimated income or underestimated deductions, exemptions, and credits. Though taxpayers may like the fact that they are getting a tax refund, in fact they are granting the government an interest-free loan for most of the year, which is not astute Tax Planning.
A tax rebate from local, state, or federal governments may occur when unexpectedly large tax revenues create a budget surplus. 退税

tax withholding (in the United States)

In the United States income tax system, employers are required to withhold a portion of each employee's income and pay it directly to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. This withholding acts as a prepayment of tax they will owe at the end of the year, as well as a direct payment of certain other taxes. 预扣税款

tax credit

Direct, dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax liability, as distinguished from a Tax Deduction (课税扣除数), which reduces taxes only by the percentage of a taxpayer's Tax Bracket (税档). (A taxpayer in the 33% tax bracket would get a 33-cent benefit from each $1 deduction, for example.) In the case of a tax credit, a taxpayer owing $10,000 in tax would owe $9,000 if he took advantage of a $1,000 tax credit. 税款减除额