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Robots

On 20 Jun 2017 at 8:13am Adele wrote:

Is there any appetite for a new annual tax on robots ? I.e. The mechanical arms in all the car factories and other manufacturing proceses, even down to the self scanners in supermarkets. After all they are taking jobs and denying the country of income tax every year. What the employers save on staff wages, benefits, and other staff on costs, it would still be cheaper for them. Plus we are going see a lot more of them soon.

On 20 Jun 2017 at 8:20am Just wondering wrote:

Will that tax also apply to Anne Summers, after all half of their goods deprive someone of a job.

On 20 Jun 2017 at 8:44am Domestic Appliance wrote:

And don't forget to tax all those dishwashers, automatic washing machines and any other "program and forget" domestic equipment that are rendering servants jobless too...

On 20 Jun 2017 at 9:38am Luddite wrote:

@adele...luddite

On 20 Jun 2017 at 9:53am Erp wrote:

I think it was Bill Gates who suggested this. Fair enough but there is growing acceptance that a universal basic income will be with us within a few years, it's already a reality for a significant chunk of the population. Then we really will be bobos in paradise!

On 20 Jun 2017 at 10:02am The Old Mayor wrote:

I think you're confusing Labour saving gadgets with job stealing robots. But maybe it's okay for humans just to type all day in the future, bring on poverty, obesity, diabetes, mental illness, muscle waste, heart failure, not to mention fat thumbs !

On 20 Jun 2017 at 1:08pm As it happens wrote:

Increased automation doesn't necessarily mean job losses. McDonalds for example have hugely increased their employee numbers since introducing self-order points, they say they have more staff on the floor providing actual customer sevice now making the customer experience nicer and improving their profits.