政府问责局：应用美元硬币替换纸币

The U.S. should replace dollar bills with dollar coins, a watchdog said, a move that could be unpopular with the public but ultimately save the government money.

一家监督机构称，美国应该用美元硬币取代美元纸币。此举虽然可能不受公众欢迎，但最终却能替政府省下一笔钱。

'We continue to believe that the government would receive a financial benefit from making the replacement,' Lorelei St. James, a director at the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, said in remarks prepared for a Congressional hearing scheduled for Thursday.

无党派机构政府问责局(Government Accountability Office)负责人圣詹姆斯(Lorelei St. James)在为定于周四召开的美国国会听证会准备的一篇讲话稿中说，我们仍然相信通过这种置换美国政府将享受到经济利益。

Mining and metals companies, mass transit agencies, vending machine manufacturers and other groups favor a switch to coins. They are pitted against the company that makes the paper for U.S. currency, Crane & Co., and broad public opinion in favor of keeping the greenback. Both sides have allies in Congress.

矿业和金属公司、公共交通机构、自动售货机制造商和其它团体赞成将纸币换成硬币。而美元印钞用纸制造商Crane & Co.以及赞成保留美元纸币的广泛舆论则站在了前述团体的对立面。双方在国会都各有支持者。

Ultimately, the benefits of a switch would only accrue over many years.

但这种转换带来的好处最终需要多年才能实现。

The GAO estimates that replacing $1 notes with $1 coins, which last decades longer than paper, could provide $4.4 billion in 'net benefits' to the federal government over 30 years. That averages out to less than $147 million a year, a tiny drop in the fiscal bucket.

政府问责局估计，将1美元纸币替换为1美元硬币能在30年的时间里给联邦政府带来44亿美元的“净利益。平均算来联邦政府每年的收益不到1.47亿美元，对于财政收入来说这不过是九牛一毛。1元硬币的存续时间比1元纸币长了数十年。

'We realize that replacing the $1 note with the $1 coin is controversial, ' Ms. St. James said. 'In fact, public opinion has consistently been opposed to the $1 coin.'

圣詹姆斯说，我们意识到将1美元纸币替换成1美元硬币的做法存有争议。事实上，舆论一直反对使用1美元硬币。

Last year, the U.S. Treasury curtailed production of dollar coins after finding that more than 40% had been returned to the government unwanted. At the time, government vaults held 1.4 billion such coins--enough to meet demand for a decade.

去年，美国财政部缩减了美元硬币的产量。此前他们发现超过40%的硬币因为无人使用而被退回。当时政府金库持有价值14亿美元的硬币，足够满足未来10年的需求。