文字实录·Transcript

冯欣：据全国人大的消息，从七月到八月，来自全国的2万多公民就中国的《预算法》修改草案向全国人大提出意见和建议。截至8月5日，全国人大共收到33万多条意见和建议，这是自2005年全国人大在网上征集公众意见以来，收到回复数第二多的一次。但是在多大程度上公众真正关心《预算法》的修改？普通人又如何能弄明白中国的预算？

Feng Xin: Between July and August, more than 20,000 members of the public made comments and suggestions to the National People's Congress, or the NPC, about how to amend China's Budget Law. That's according to the top legislature. The NPC received nearly 330,000 opinions as of Aug 5, which is the second most since the legislature began seeking public opinions online in 2005. Experts say this shows an unusual public interest in government levies and spending. But to what extent does the public really care about amending the Budget Law? And, to go even future, how can ordinary people make sense of China's budget?

街访：您听说过《预算法》吗？

Reporter：Have you heard of the Budget Law?

受访者：没有。

Respondent: No.

受访者：没有。

Respondent: No.

受访者：没有，没听说过。

Respondent: No, never.

受访者：有听说过，但不是特别了解。

Respondent: Yes, but not a lot.

受访者：听说过。《预算法》可能是针对大型企业单位设定的。

Respondent: Yes, I have. I think the Budget Law is specially designed for big companies.

街访：那您知不知道国家的预算是用来做什么的？

Reporter：What do you think a country's budget is used for?

受访者：我觉得预算应该是让人民监督政府来进行每笔财务支出的。

Respondent: I think it's used for the people to monitor the government's spending.

受访者：可能是跟下一年的财政有关系吧。

Respondent: Maybe it has to do with next year's finances.

受访者：（做）计划，我个人是这样认为的。

Respondent: Making plans, I think.

受访者：预算应该是今后几年的一个财务支出计划。

Respondent: It's a plan about future expenditures.

受访者：每年的各方面，包括教育、农业、西部大开发也算，各方面的基础设施的投资。

Respondent: It covers education, agriculture – the Development of the West Regions (national project) also counts – and all sorts of investments in infrastructure.

街访：您觉得国家的收入和支出跟普通人，或者说跟您个人有什么关系？

Reporter: What does the country's revenue and spending have anything to do with you?

受访者：这个关系还挺大的吧，但平常好像不太关注这个，不知道从哪关注。

Respondent: I think it has a lot to do with me, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I didn't know how.

受访者：觉得没什么关系吧。

Not very much.

受访者：跟个人有很大的关系，我是个农民，农民现在已经接近城市养老的系列。

Respondent: I think it has a lot to do with me. I'm a farmer. The farmers' pension system is becoming similar to the city's.

受访者：当然有关系，因为国家使用的钱财都是咱们老百姓的钱。因为它是通过税收征收上来的钱。

Respondent: Of course it's related (to us). All the money the country spends comes from us, the people, from the taxes we pay.

街访：对于国家的预算，有哪些是您想知道但是却不知道的？

Reporter: In terms of the country's budget, is there anything you'd like to know?

受访者：我之前有看过一个关于美国和中国的对比，美国的预算可以说做得非常细，而且做得基本上面向公众，公开的。而国内好像大部分人如果真的想了解，还挺难了解细节的。

Respondent: I read something about comparing China's and the United States' budget. The US budget is said to be very detailed, open and transparent, whereas in China, it would be quite difficult for most people to know details.

受访者：比如你政府的钱是怎么花的，预算执行情况，但是我们都不知道。

Respondent: Like how the government spends the money and implements the budget, we don't know.

受访者：从新闻角度知道的就是三公费，我觉得这些只是特别小的一个侧面。从大的侧面来讲，比如说大的国营企业，它的经营效果，经营情况，老百姓一般是很少很少知道的。包括一些项目的开发，该不该开发，应该如何去开发，老百姓不清楚这些事情，他也不关心这些事情，但是这些事我觉得国家有义务去公布。

Respondent: We often hear news about "sangong spending" (official receptions, cars and visits), but I think this is only a small facet of the issue. Speaking about a larger facet, people rarely know how State-owned enterprises operate.There are also some projects. Should they be launched in the first place? And how should they be carried out? Ordinary people don't know about these. Nor do they care. But I think the government has obligations to make them known.

那么国家的预算究竟跟普通人有什么关系？我采访了刘剑文，他是人大立法者的顾问之一。

How is China's budget relevant to individuals? I talked to Liu Jianwen, a consultant to the NPC's lawmakers.

冯欣：刘教授，我听您曾经说过要把《预算法》从神坛上拿下来，让它走入民间，因为它和每个人的衣食住行都有关系。您为什么这么说呢？国家的预算和普通人到底有什么关系？