您現在的位置: > Language Tips > Audio & Video > Normal Speed News  
     





      Oil industry defends big profits
    [ 2006-04-29 09:09 ]

    When the top U.S. oil companies announced huge increases in profits this week, many consumer advocates cried foul. At a time when American motorists are paying record-level prices for gasoline, some in the U.S. Congress think the oil company profits should be scrutinized closely. The U.S. senate Finance Committee is seeking tax return information on top U.S. oil companies from the Internal Revenue Service and some politicians are calling for a windfall profit tax .

    Of course, oil companies oppose such a move, citing similar or even higher profit increases in other industries, such as pharmaceuticals, that have not caused an uproar.

    Oil industry analysts, however, say a windfall profits tax might be counterproductive . Bob Tippee, editor of Houston-based Oil and Gas Journal, says large oil company profits could benefit consumers in the end.

    "Consumers are not going to cheer oil industry profits when gasoline prices are high, everybody knows that," he said. "But in fact, those profits will go into the development of future supply that consumers need."

    While some of the money earned by oil companies is paid to shareholders through dividends, much of it is reinvested into exploration, acquisition and production.

    At its annual meeting here in Houston Wednesday, the directors of the Chevron corporation announced a 15.5-percent increase in the dividend, but also outlined plans for increased spending in development. Company executives say production can be expected to increase by three percent a year over the next five years as a result of new discoveries and ongoing development projects.

    Bob Tippee says U.S. oil companies would spend more on development if they could go everywhere oil is to be found.

    "There are two general problems, one is in the United States, we make the east and west coasts virtually off limits for exploration," he said. "Companies cannot drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain of Alaska. So, there are political limits in the United States and then, outside the United States, more and more exploration acreage is controlled by national oil companies.

    Tippee says the high prices for crude oil in recent years has spurred many state-owned companies to develop more fields and boosted profits for U.S.-based oil services companies that often participate in such projects.

    "We are already seeing some projects to increase supplies, especially in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, the big producers are aggressively developing new capacity which will come on stream in the next few years," he added.

    Tippee says the increased supply, coupled with an expected slowdown in demand, will eventually move the price of oil lower. He says the important question is whether the demand reduction comes as a result of a worldwide recession set off by high oil prices or from a more moderate economic slowdown.

    Vocabulary:

    profit tax : 利潤稅

    counterproductive : tending to hinder rather than serve one's purpose(使達不到預期目標的)











     

     

     
     
     




    中文字幕无码高清晰| 97无码免费人妻超级碰碰夜夜| 欧洲人妻丰满av无码久久不卡| 欧美视频中文字幕| 国产亚洲美日韩AV中文字幕无码成人 | 一本色道无码道在线观看| 天堂а√在线中文在线| MM1313亚洲精品无码| 国产AⅤ无码专区亚洲AV| 中文成人无字幕乱码精品区| heyzo专区无码综合| 无码中文字幕av免费放dvd| 中文字幕免费高清视频| 最近中文字幕在线中文视频| 少妇无码太爽了不卡视频在线看 | 欧美人妻aⅴ中文字幕| 中文在线中文A| 91精品久久久久久无码| 无码无套少妇毛多18p| 亚洲av无码一区二区乱子伦as| 最新中文字幕在线视频| 精品久久亚洲中文无码| 色视频综合无码一区二区三区| HEYZO无码综合国产精品227| 久久久无码一区二区三区 | 日韩免费人妻AV无码专区蜜桃| 亚洲中文字幕久久精品无码APP| 一二三四在线观看免费中文在线观看| 久久久久中文字幕| 国产精品中文字幕在线观看| 日韩高清在线中文字带字幕 | 日本中文字幕中出在线| 中文字幕人妻丝袜乱一区三区| 最近高清中文字幕无吗免费看| 亚洲中文字幕无码爆乳av中文| 亚洲av无码成人精品区| 亚洲成a人在线看天堂无码| 漂亮人妻被中出中文字幕久久| 中文字幕有码无码AV| 亚洲国产a∨无码中文777| 精品久久久久中文字幕日本|