Question

请精通金融业的英语高手过来指点一下

Yet from a broader economic perspective, dropping mortgage-interest deductions has a certain appeal. For starters, it's only one part of a program that would reform the tax code without changing the burden on the average American. It would raise some taxes only as much as it cuts others. The real target is the alternative minimum tax (AMT), designed years ago to prevent millionaires from avoiding tax, but now increasingly encroaching upon the middle class. Next year the AMT will raise the burden of 21 million taxpayers earning as little as $75,000. But to replace the $1.2 trillion that the tax would bring in over the next 10 years, something sacred had to go, and that's where mortgage deductions come in. Of course, not extending the recent tax cuts due to expire by 2010 (capital gains, estate, child credit) would do the same trick, economists say. But under the President's orders, that option was off-limits.
这段文字中 "Next year the AMT will raise the burden of 21 million taxpayers earning as little as $75,000."中raise是应该翻成"增加"号还是翻成"解除"负担的好呢??
还有"something sacred had to go, and that's where mortgage deductions come in. "怎么理解呢? 看上去像是：这是房产抵押减税大显身手的地方。但是整段文字都是在说为什么要取消房产抵押减税的, 这样翻显然自相矛盾。请各位高手指点。谢谢
这段话的意思我的理解大致为: 然而从经济学的视角来看,停止对房屋抵押贷款减税还是具有一定号召力的。首先，这是既能实现税收制度改革又能不增加普通美国民众税务负担的庞大程序中的一小步。它（指：停止低房屋抵押贷款）在加重一部分税收的同时也会在其他方面减除同样多的赋税。其真正的目的在于选择性最小税收，几年前设计出来以防富人逃税的，现在却加重了中产阶级的负担。明年选择性最小税收将会加重2千1百万收入小于75000美元的纳税人的纳税负担。但是想要替换这一税种在下个10年中所将产生的一万两千亿的税费，一些神圣（或关系重大）的事情必须要推进，那正是房屋抵押贷款减税发挥作用的地方。当然经济学家认为不再延长2010就将到期的短期减税也会产生相同的效果。但是根据总统的命令，那一选项是禁止的。
翻完之后一看，房屋抵押贷款减税挺好的吗，可以增加1.2万亿的税收，那还要取消它干嘛？？这不是自相矛盾了吗，请各位高手看看我在哪儿理解有问题！谢谢。

Answer 1

①暂时没有听过raise the burden能表“解除”负担的意思。文章清楚指出AMT意外侵害到了中产阶级的利益，明年将会加重2100万名收入低于75000纳税人的负担。因此可以肯定它是表达“增加”的意思。
②“Sth sacred had to go, and that's where mortgage deductions come in.”这句话你翻译得很好，大显身手用得非常形象。因为作者在后一段话中作出了总结性发言：“不管怎样，房贷优惠在某种程度上已经失去其应有的作用了。它正在为那些购买旅游度假屋以及麦克豪宅的人提供资助，而非真正的首次购房者。”所以作者认为房贷优惠政策已是弊大于利了，必须予以废除。

Answer 2

这里raise是征税的意思，下一年采取替换最小课税这一措施，将仅向两千一百万纳税人征收七万五千税额。但在接下来的十年，要减少一万两千亿税收的话，则是任重而道远，这也正是要在减少房产抵押方面下功夫。