作者：北美考试教学中心 托福写作组 张晟凯

As a basic function of government, deciding how to allocate a large amount of money from taxes seems to be a debatable topic. When it comes to the issue about which way is the best to spend money on, opinions vary from one person to another. From my point of view, providing affordable housing is obviously bound to be the optimum choice. My reasons are given below.

There is no doubt that a city that strives for further improvement has to attract various talents, who lay a solid foundation for its future development. Among all the factors affecting whether those talents will choose to live in a certain city or not, the price of local houses, in a sense, is extremely significant. After all, compared with other basic consumption, housing is likely to be the most tremendous payout, which means a down payment or a mortgage for houses are such great burdens. Therefore, young people, especially those potential talents who graduate from universities, have a tendency to live in a city where there are fewer housing expenses since they are able to live a more comfortable life without too much concern about expensive houses. Therefore, only by providing affordable housing will a city attract more talents, after which prosperity of the economy and advancement of technology may ensue.

Environmental protection plays an essential role in the modern government’s tasks. However, in most cases, efforts made by the government to protect the environment do not generally work. As is known to all, the process of environmental improvement is so long that people cannot witness a marked result in decades. Meanwhile, not only will research on reducing air and water pollution take a long time, but also it will cost too much money. It is apparent that a long-term investment without instant return is not worth it. Thus, a government that aims to benefit the city soon should never spend money on environmental protection.

At first glance, attracting new business seems alluring. Someone may argue that new business can indeed stimulate economic growth, which benefits the region in a short time. Nevertheless, new business means more uncertainty as well. More often than not, higher returns and higher risks go hand in hand. A safe investment without any risks never exists. If a city’s government focuses on the attraction of new business, potential problems may be ignored at the beginning and lead to disastrous consequences later.

In conclusion, I still firmly believe that providing affordable housing is the best way for the government to benefit the future development of a city. In contrast, environmental protection does not take effect in a short time, and attracting new business may bring more risks. I hope that every city can find its own appropriate way to develop better.