Taxing Robots | Unpublished
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EdwardFarnworth's picture
Ottawa, Ontario
About the author

Edward (Ted) Farnworth is a retired scientist who worked for the federal department of Agriculture. He enjoys writing, has a website Medicinal Food News that helps consumers understand the ever changing field of food, nutrition and health. He has published his first e-book "Peers and Tears," is enjoying travelling since retiring and keeps busy sailing, cross country skiing and gardening. Too often he finds himself yelling at things he hears on the radio about the state of our country.

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Taxing Robots

February 28, 2017

Robots are taking over the world, and this isn't just science fiction.  If this is the future, then why not look at this as an opportunity to find a new revenue stream for the government.

One of the many things on my “things to worry about” list is the growing use of robots.

Like other previous technologies that were going to make life easier for us, the increasing replacement of real human beings with robots in an ever increasing number of occupations has many negative consequences.

The manufacturing sector has too many examples of workers laid off and being replaced by robots. Someone who is unemployed is not contributing to the tax base, and most likely is using public assistance to survive. So the system gets hit twice, while the company has cut its operating cost, may have increased productivity, and probably has increased profits.

So, why not tax the robot, like any other worker. I’d like to say this was my idea. But some guy named Bill Gates, ya that Bill Gates,  proposed this recently.  

Makes a lot of sense to me.