Britain's royal family cost the taxpayer £40 million (NT$2 billion) last year, the same cost as buying two liters of milk or an MP3 download for each person in the country.
The cost increased by £2 million (NT$120 million) compared to last year, because of rising costs of overseas trips and maintenance costs.
The amount spent on royal travel increased by £600,000 (NT$36 million), mainly caused by a trip to the US in May 2007.
PHOTO: EPA
Anti-royal campaign group Republic Friday repeated its demand to change royal spending. While British people are told to spend less, "the Windsor family digs deeper into the taxpayers' pockets," spokesman Graham Smith said.
Smith called for the queen to be paid a salary in the same way as all other government employees.
(STAFF WRITER, WITH DPA)
英國王室去年花了納稅人四千萬英鎊(新台幣二十億元),相當於全英國民眾每人買兩公升牛奶或下載一首歌的金額。
和前年相比,由於出國旅行和維修費用的增加,去年英國王室的開支增加了兩百萬英鎊(新台幣一億兩千萬元)。
去年王室旅遊的費用增加了六十萬英鎊(新台幣三千六百萬元),其中五月份訪美的費用就佔了大部分。
反皇室運動組織「星期五共和國」重申王室應改變消費習慣的要求。該組織發言人葛拉罕.史密斯說,英國政府鼓勵民眾減少消費,「英國王室卻花掉納稅人更多錢」。
史密斯呼籲女王應該比照政府其他官員,按月支領薪水。
(德通社/翻譯:袁星塵)
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