[新聞]國際大富豪華倫巴菲特捐出數十億財產做公益

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（法新社紐約二十五日電）

全世界第二富豪華倫巴菲特二十五日宣布，計畫將他約四百四十億美金的資產中的百分之八十五，捐出來做慈善事業。

諷刺的是，他大部分的捐款，都準備捐到全世界最有錢的微軟總裁比爾蓋茲所設立的基金會去。

這位投資大師在一份聲明中指出，他將於二十六日寫信給蓋茲基金會和其他四個基金會，表明從今年七月開始，將他名下的Berkshire Hathaway控股公司的股票轉移過去。

他在接受財星雜誌訪問時指出，他知道自己在幹什麼，這樣做非常有意義。

他澄清自己的健康沒有問題，去年十月最後一次健康檢查時，一切都很好。

他對高風險性投資也仍然「有興趣」。

他把這件事歸於他二零零四年七月過世的太太蘇珊巴菲特身上。

他們兩人雖然分居很久，但仍保持密切的關係。

巴菲特透露，他們都一直認為蘇珊會繼承他所有的事業，並將這些財富捐給社會。

沒想她在七十二歲時因中風死亡。

現年七十五歲的巴菲特因投資致富成為億萬富翁。

他的所有財產都集中在Berkshire Hathaway公司，投資範圍從保險到房地產、石油到飛機租賃無所不包。

依照他的計畫，他共捐款給五個基金會，但其中百分之八十三會給比爾與瑪蓮達蓋茲基金會。

這個基金會目前有三百億美元用來做醫療研究和教育補助經費。

其他的捐給巴菲特太太蘇珊名下和他其他家族成員成立的基金會中。

巴菲特和蓋茲是非常好的朋友，兩人分別名列世界第一和第二有錢人。

他表示，自己一直很欣賞蓋茲基金會的貢獻。

他預計在第一年先捐十五億美元，以後逐年不定額固定捐款。

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Warren Buffett, the world's second richest man, announced plans to give away an estimated 85 percent of his estimated 44 billion dollar wealth to charity.


Most the donations will, ironically, go to a foundation run by Bill Gates, the wealthiest man on the planet.

The investment guru said in a statement that on Monday he would act on letters sent to Gates and other foundations that "that contain irrevocable pledges" to start transferring shares in his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate to them from July.

He explained the motivation for his gesture in an interview with Fortune magazine, which said the handouts would amount to about 85 percent of his wealth.

"I know what I want to do," he was quoted as saying, "and it makes sense to get going."

Buffett said there were no immediate concerns about his health and that he is still "having fun" working in high finance.

"I feel terrific and when I had my last physical, in October, my doctor gave me a clean bill of health," he said.

But he did make a link to the death of his wife, Susan Buffett, in July 2004.

The two had been living apart but remained close and Buffett said: "She and I always assumed that she would inherit my Berkshire stock and be the one who oversaw the distribution of our wealth to society."

Buffett, 75, made his billions from astute investments that turned him into an world acclaimed operator. But virtually all of the money is concentrated in Berkshire Hathaway -- whose interests range from insurance to property, energy and jet leasing.

The shares will go to five foundations. But more than 83 percent of the stock will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which already has a kitty of about 30 billion dollars used to pay for medical research and give educational grants.

Buffett and the Gates' are close friends.

Fortune magazine estimated earlier this year that Buffett has about 44 billion dollars. It said Gates is now worth about 50 billion dollars.

According to Fortune, Buffett plans to eventually become a trustee of the Gates foundation. Bill Gates this month announced plans to withdraw from day-to-day control of Microsoft by July 2008 to concentrate on the foundation.

Buffett said in his statement that the value of the first gift to the Gates foundation would enable it to increase spending by about 1.5 billion dollars.

"I greatly admire what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMG) is accomplishing and want to materially expand its future capabilities," he said.

"In the future I expect the value of my annual gifts to trend higher in an irregular but eventually substantially manner," he added.

Shares will also be given to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Susan A. Buffett Foundation and NoVo Foundation (Peter A. Buffett) run in the name of his late wife and by other members of his family.


(以下未出現在中譯的新聞稿中)
Buffett said he would set aside 10 million shares of class B common stock for the foundation, and award five percent of the balance of those shares once a year. On Friday, a Berkshire Hathaway class B share was worth 3,071 dollars on the New York Stock Exchange.

Buffett's wife died of a stroke at the age of 72. Buffett said that his wife had always wanted to give away their money faster.

"I always had the idea that philanthropy was important today but would be equally important in one year, 10 years, 20 years and the future generally."

Buffett said he did not think the gifts would harm the value of Berkshire Hathaway stock.

"I would not be making the gifts if they would in any way harm Berkshire's shareholders. And they won't," he vowed.

Buffett said he greatly US admired media mogul and CNN founder Ted Turner, whose has extensively engaged in philanthropic activities and donated one billion dollars to the United Nations.

But he insisted he was not getting emotional when it came to parting with his money.

"Well, I have zero of that," the financier said. "To me, there's just no emotional downside to this at all."

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Buffett’s gift is unusual not only for its size. It also comes with several conditions.

1.Either Bill or Melinda Gates must remain alive and active in running their foundation.

2.The foundation must continue to be a non-profit group that does not pay taxes.

3.The foundation must spend five percent of its total money each year, including all of Buffett’s yearly gift.


B.G. --當代最成功的經營者之一
W.B.--當代最成功的投資者之一

W.B.將大筆資金分批投注在B.G.所經營的組織
相當符合W.B.的投資哲學與方法
不論B.G.的組織是營利還是非營利