"何謂財政懸崖？"

2011年八月，美國通過預算控制法案。這讓美國政府能將債務上限增加至2.1兆美元。然而，國會被要求在這個額度被用完前找尋長期解決方案。若無解決方案，將執行全國性的稅率增加和預算縮減。若國會找不到可行的解決方案，美國將跌落財政懸崖，並經歷上述改變後廣泛的經濟影響。

為什麼需要財政懸崖？大致目標是防止美國被債務給淹沒。若國家負債過多，將沒有足夠資金能解決突發狀況。沒有精明的投資人會願意投資當地企業，這可能會導致財務危機。

若國家跌落財政懸崖會發生甚麼事？專家預測，這將在明年前半年引發經濟衰退。經濟成長和股市也都將被拖累，而失業率也會上升。因為稅率增加，企業主也將較不願意雇用新員工或投資。

(Business) What is the Fiscal Cliff

In August 2011, the Budget Control Act was approved. This allowed the US government to increase the nations debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion. However, the congress was ordered to find a long-term solution before the amount runs out. If not, nationwide increase in tax rates and budget cuts will be implemented. If the congress fails to find a viable solution, the country will fall off the fiscal cliff and experience widespread economic effects after the said changes.

Why is there a need for the fiscal cliff? The general aim of this is to prevent the country from being drowned in its debt. If a country is in too much debt, it will be unable to have funds to deal with unexpected situations. No smart investor would be willing to invest his money in local business and this can lead to a financial crisis.

What will happen if the country falls off the cliff? Experts predict that this will trigger a recession in the first half of the next year. Economic growth and the stock market will both suffer while unemployment rates will rise. Business owners will be less likely to hire and invest their money because of the increase in tax rates.

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