譯/陳韋廷
Maria Poblet, who leads an organization that assists Latino families facing eviction in San Francisco, says she appreciates the philanthropy that the city's technology companies do in far-flung places to address global poverty and the environment. But what she really wants to see them do is pay more taxes to help with homelessness and lower-cost housing in San Francisco.
"You have a CEO who cares about kids in Ghana one week or dolphins the next week. Those are important," she said. "But the people impacted by displacement in San Francisco are a worthy cause, too."
瑪麗亞．波布雷特在舊金山市領導一個組織，專門幫助即將被逐出住處的拉美裔家庭。對於該市科技公司在偏遠地區為解決全球貧窮與環境問體所做的慈善事業，她表示讚賞，而她真正想看到他們做的卻是，付出更多稅金來幫助舊金山無家可歸者並提供低價住房。
她說：「我們有個這星期關心迦納的孩童，下星期又關心一下海豚的執行長，這些都是很重要的事情，但關心在舊金山流離失所的人們，也是個崇高的事業。」
Poblet is part of a group of activists behind an initiative by three city legislators to impose a payroll tax that would apply only to technology companies, which have been the engine of a booming economy that now appears to be slowing.
Eric Mar, a member of the city's Board of Supervisors, announced the proposal last month for a 1.5 percent payroll tax that would serve as a form of indemnification for what he described as the downside of the technology boom.
舊金山有三位市議員推動針對科技公司課徵薪資稅的法案，而波布雷特正是支持此案的某個社會行動組織的成員。這些科技公司一直是帶動經濟蓬勃發展的引擎，但經濟如今似乎正在走緩。
舊金山市議會議員艾瑞克馬爾上個月宣布了該項課徵1.5%薪資稅的提案，所得將作為對於他所謂科技業榮景負面影響的一種補償。
Tech companies have been "a tremendous benefit to the city in many ways," Mar said. "But I don't think they've been paying their fair share."
The proposal for what has become known as the tech tax comes as officials struggle to fill growing gaps in the city budget. Money from the tech tax would go toward paying for programs for the homeless and the housing "affordability crisis," Mar said.
馬爾說，科技公司一直「在許多方面為這座城市帶來巨大利益，但我不認為他們付出了該付的那份錢。」
這種稅已被稱為科技稅，此案提出之際，官員們正努力填補該市不斷擴大的預算缺口。馬爾說，科技稅的稅金將用來支應照顧無家可歸者和解決住房「負擔能力危機」的計畫。
Behind the proposal is more than just an effort to raise revenue. The tech tax, the passage of which is considered a long shot, is the latest manifestation of resentment here against the proliferation of high-paid tech workers and the pressures that rising prices have put on residents. Tensions have flared over the notion that tech workers live in a parallel society, in which they are whisked in private buses to work, socialize in their own circles and do not participate in San Francisco's traditions of social collaboration.
提案動機不僅只是提高稅收。當地人對高薪科技業員工的擴增，以及物價不斷上漲對居民帶來的壓力早有怨忿，課徵科技稅只是這種情緒最新的表達，不過科技稅案通過機率不高。當地民眾認為科技業員工活在另一個世界，搭乘私人巴士去工作、只在自己圈子內交際，而且不參與舊金山市內的社會合作傳統，緊張氣氛因而爆發。
"Billions of dollars of venture capital have poured into the city and pushed our people out," said Poblet, executive director of Causa Justa/Just Cause, a nonprofit organization that, among other activities, helps San Francisco residents threatened with eviction.
She and other supporters of the tax say the proposal sends a message to tech companies that they should be paying more to mitigate the repercussions of the boom in their sector.
公平正義會執行長波布雷特說：「數十億美元創投資金湧入了這座城市，並將我們的居民往外推。」該會是個非營利組織，活動內容包括幫助面臨被逐出住處威脅的舊金山市居民。
她與另一些支持徵收該稅的人都表示，這項提案向科技公司發出訊息，告訴他們應付出更多的錢來減輕他們的產業榮景所帶來的負面影響。
說文解字看新聞
（文/陳韋廷）
舊金山一帶科技業的蓬勃發展活絡了當地的經濟，但除了財富和商機外，科技新貴的進駐也帶來許多負面影響，例如昂貴的生活成本與不斷攀升的房價，令當地民眾成為間接受害者。為緩解科技業榮景對一般市民生活造成的衝擊，舊金山市議會日前因此提案課徵科技稅來補貼當地民眾。
boom指的是「繁榮興旺、迅速發展、熱潮」的意思，文中則譯作「榮景」，形容某個急速蓬勃發展的狀態，例如dotcom boom指的是2003年發生的網路業榮景，property boom則指房市榮景，而我們常聽到的嬰兒潮，英文則是baby boom。
俚語a long shot字面上意義為「很長的射擊」，而我們都知道，當射擊目標愈遠，打中機率就愈小，因此衍生出「不太可能成功」之意。例句：Even though he got talents in singing, but to be a professional singer seemed to be really a long shot.（即便他有唱歌方面的才華，但要當職業歌手似乎真的不太可能。）
雖然提案最終通過的機率不大，但此案的提出凸顯了科技業榮景帶出的隱憂，亦即與科技業無關的居民可能未蒙其利，反受其害。
