But the Russell Group of top universities calculates that graduates in the upper 20 percent of earners could end up paying at least 16,000 pounds a year–far more than the cost of their education. It would mean that graduates would be, in effect, penalized for earning more - as they would be forced to pay a percentage of their earnings for many years after they leave college.

　　英国大学“罗素联盟”统计了收入水平占前20%的毕业生的缴纳金额后得出，他们每年可能要支付高达1.6万英镑的毕业税，这要比交学费贵得多。这就意味着，实际上，毕业生因为赚得多而受到惩罚——因为在离校多年后他们还得向政府支付部分收入。

　　Tuition fees, on the other hand, amount to a flat rate charge usually paid in installments after a person graduates. The poorest pay nothing - but no one pays more than a certain amount.

　　而现有的学费制度中，学生需要偿还的款项是统一固定的，大部分学生在毕业后分期还清。穷困学生甚至可以免还贷款——但是没有人被要求比固定数额缴纳更多。