Bill Gates: robots should pay taxes

[The_Doctor]

Whatever Timmy said is pretty much what I believe.

The tax debate is kind of a 2030-2040 debate. Robots haven't significantly taken enough jobs for there to be a widespread rethibkinf of work although they have helped undercut wage growth in some sectors (correct me if I'm wrong).

Eventually they will become invasive enough that we have to rethink work and the role of income and taxes on a radical scale. None of this is a bad thing. We'll get a lot more leisure time but we need to restructure society to match the new paradigm.

Probably using taxes on machines to fund and avoid massive income inequality by using these taxes for a basic income would make some sense in 2040.

[Hermit For Peace]

So then the question becomes, if automation takes over a significant segment of our jobs market, what does that free us to do? How would we make use of our time in other ways to create incomes and also to advance our civilization? With automation comes innovation of our lifestyles, and since we still need to earn incomes, we would still be taxed no matter what type of "work" we do. Uncle Sam will get his money one way or another.

Edited: I wrote this without seeing TD's post above. Pretty much the same ideas.

[The_Doctor]

The notion is that we would become a species more focused on intellectual pursuits and human interface type jobs, e.g hospitality, healthcare, lawyers, judges, etc.

A basic income would simply free ourselves to commit to specific life goals and part time careers we find fulfilling and constitute productivity to society.

As a neoliberal I have a hard time wrapping my head around it but that's where we're going more or less.

[Hermit For Peace]

The notion is that we would become a species more focused on intellectual pursuits and human interface type jobs, e.g hospitality, healthcare, lawyers, judges, etc.

A basic income would simply free ourselves to commit to specific life goals and part time careers we find fulfilling and constitute productivity to society.

As a neoliberal I have a hard time wrapping my head around it but that's where we're going more or less.

This made me think of the Middle East. How free are we to elevate our standard of living when other parts of the world are living in such turmoil? What happens in other parts of the world affects us. Specifically many Americans advocate for war and intervention in other country's business.

[The_Doctor]

Its an extremely complicated subject. This would also render many third world nations functionally moot in many ways and they would need a massive focus on education and essentially would need to join us in terms of economic standard of living if automation becomes a vast and real thing.

I dunno how it will all play out tbh

[JA]

What a horrible idea. You'd think Gates would know better than to suggest taxing productivity and automation. Yes, people are displaced by increased automation such as, for example, the thousands or more typist and clerk jobs displaced by Microsoft products that improved computer software and productivity. Would Gates have supported a tax on that as well? By taxing something, you get less of it. So by taxing productivity and automation, you'll get less productivity and less automation. Is this what we want? Should the looms have been taxed because they led to displacement of artisans?

No, you don't tax productivity, you tax income and consumption. If automation leads to increased productivity and decreased expenses, then the cost of products decreases as their availability increases. This results in higher profits for businesses and corporations. That in turn likely results in higher wages for management and owners. Thus, the money you would've gotten from taxing workers you'll still get from taxing managers and businesses; the tax base won't diminish. You can also tax consumption, such as a sales tax. Perhaps it's time to consider implementing a progressive sales tax as well, which Gates had once proposed. This way we can still get the tax revenue from the productivity of machines without directly taxing (and, subsequently, discouraging) automation.

The goal Gates should be pushing for is a steeper redistribution of wealth and a universal basic income. Taxing robots instead is ridiculous.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

Corporations will make the consumers pay for their own taxes when they buy their products, I don't think this is a very useful proposal

[Hermit For Peace]

Hey Timmy, great thoughtful post.