Why must we pay taxes? The answer is that the government needs money for many things, for example, to pay its soldiers, sailors and airmen, to build roads, bridges, offices, schools, or to buy goods from abroad. And only the people of the country can supply the money. One of the most important taxes is income tax which a person pays according to the amount of his income, whether he is a merchant, a doctor, a lawyer, a shopkeeper, or anything else. This is called a direct tax, because it is paid in money directly to the government. Another tax is paid on goods such as watches, jewelry, new clothes, tobacco, wine and so on, when they are brought into a country. such a tax is paid as part of the price of these goods if they are later sold in shops. We call it indirect tax, because it is paid indirectly through the shopkeeper.

　　我們為什么要交稅?是因為政府需要這些錢做許多其他的事情，比如給軍人、海軍、空軍的費用，修建公路、大橋、辦公室、學校的費用，或者去引進一些國外商品的費用。這些錢，只有自己國家的公民們才能提供。其中最重要的一項稅收叫做工資稅，這個稅是根據每個人的工資多少來交付的，無論你是一個商人、一個醫生、一個律師、一個小店的店主，或者其他的什么職業。這種稅叫直接稅，因為它是以錢的形式直接交給了政府。另一種稅是通過商品來交付的，例如手表、珠寶、新衣服、煙草、酒等等，當他們被帶到一個國家，如果他們以商品的形式掛在店鋪里面銷售的話，這種稅就通過商品的形式交付了。我們稱這種稅叫間接稅，因為他是由店主間接交付的。

　　Why must we pay taxes? The answer is that the government needs money for many things, for example, to pay its soldiers, sailors and airmen, to build roads, bridges, offices, schools, or to buy goods from abroad. And only the people of the country can supply the money. One of the most important taxes is income tax which a person pays according to the amount of his income, whether he is a merchant, a doctor, a lawyer, a shopkeeper, or anything else. This is called a direct tax, because it is paid in money directly to the government. Another tax is paid on goods such as watches, jewelry, new clothes, tobacco, wine and so on, when they are brought into a country. such a tax is paid as part of the price of these goods if they are later sold in shops. We call it indirect tax, because it is paid indirectly through the shopkeeper.

　　我們為什么要交稅?是因為政府需要這些錢做許多其他的事情，比如給軍人、海軍、空軍的費用，修建公路、大橋、辦公室、學校的費用，或者去引進一些國外商品的費用。這些錢，只有自己國家的公民們才能提供。其中最重要的一項稅收叫做工資稅，這個稅是根據每個人的工資多少來交付的，無論你是一個商人、一個醫生、一個律師、一個小店的店主，或者其他的什么職業。這種稅叫直接稅，因為它是以錢的形式直接交給了政府。另一種稅是通過商品來交付的，例如手表、珠寶、新衣服、煙草、酒等等，當他們被帶到一個國家，如果他們以商品的形式掛在店鋪里面銷售的話，這種稅就通過商品的形式交付了。我們稱這種稅叫間接稅，因為他是由店主間接交付的。