Microsoft says it’s determined to pay more of its fair share in improving quality-of-life in its home state of Washington.

　　微软表示，它们决心在改善其华盛顿州的生活质量方面支付更多的公平份额。

　　In the process, it also appears to be branding itself as the anti-Amazon.

　　在这个过程中，它似乎也将自己标榜为与亚马逊对立的一方。

　　Earlier this week, the software giant backed a new bill that would actually increase the software company’s tax burden.

　　本周早些时候，该软件巨头支持了一项新法案，该法案实际上会增加软件公司的税负。

　　As the Seattle Times reports, Washington State HB 2158 seeks to raise a billion dollars to invest in workforce education for state students, including in high-demand subjects such as computer science, engineering, and nursing.

　　正如“西雅图时报”报道的那样，华盛顿州HB 2158寻求筹集10亿美元用于为州立学生投资劳动力教育，包括计算机科学，工程学和护理等高要求科目。

　　It would do so by increasing taxes on sectors that benefit the most from a highly skilled workforce.

　　此法案通过增加对高技能劳动力中受益最多的部门征税来实现这一目标。

　　The bill proposes hiking state business and occupation tax by 33% on tech firms that take in more than $25 billion in annual revenue.

　　法案提议对年收入超过250亿美元的科技公司提高33%的国家商业和占用税。

　　Then, in a section that only affects Microsoft, the bill presents a 67% business tax increase for “advanced computing businesses” that make more than $100 billion a year.

　　并且，该法案还提出对年收入超过1000亿美元“高级计算机企业”加收67%的营业税，这是唯一一条对微软造成影响的条款。

　　Only two companies meet that criteria: Redmond-based Microsoft and its Seattle neighbor Amazon.

　　只有两家公司符合这一标准：总部位于雷德蒙德的微软及其西雅图的邻居亚马逊。

　　The company’s embrace of the bill shouldn’t come as a surprise: Microsoft President Brad Smith doubled down on his company’s commitment to fund education in a Seattle Times op-ed last week.

　　不出意外，微软接受了这项法案，微软总裁布拉德史密斯上周在“西雅图时报”专栏文章中将其之前承诺的教育基金削减了两成。

　　“Let’s ask the largest companies in the tech sector, which are the largest employers of high-skilled talent, to do a bit more,” he wrote. “This means that the largest tech companies would pay somewhat more than the 1.8 percent rate.”

　　他写道：“纵观技术领域最大的公司，它们是高科技人才最大的雇主，进一步说，这意味着这些大型科技公司的费用支出将超过1.8%。”