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Do we really need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to taxes? Tax personal and corporate incomes, just like we do now. If someone is able run an automated bu

Do we really need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to taxes? Tax personal and corporate incomes, just like we do now. If someone is able run an automated business with no employees, just tax the profits and income. Nothing changes.

briandear 10y ago
Why tax any of that? What's wrong with a consumption tax? You buy something, you pay a tax. Everything gets taxed equally and the government no longer gets to pick winners and losers based on the relative political power of the entity being taxed. The way it works now is that taxes are used to manipulate behavior rather than simply collecting money to provide services for citizens. Income taxes provide too much power to governments.
- mcguire 10y ago
  Not everyone gets taxed equally with a consumption tax. "You can only eat so much filet mignon," to quote a professor I once had. Non-progressive taxes (which is mostly what we have in the US now) provide too much power to the wealthy. Further, in non-totalitarian societies, the government isn't a separate entity---it is controlled by whoever has the most power in the society.
- mason240 10y ago
  I agree. I've long been a in favor a consumption tax such as FairTax, which gives everyone a "prebate" for taxes on the first $50,000 or so, to ensure it is still a progressive tax. However, I don't think that would work in a theoretical "post labor" world where only 25% or less of the population is actually employed.
talmand 10y ago
Except for the reduced tax revenue for the government, nothing changes at all.
delinka 10y ago
Had there been employees, taxes would also have been collected from them. Replacing employees with robots reduces tax revenue. Sure, additional profits going to the owners make for more tax paid by those owners, but not enough to offset the reduction in tax revenue caused by eliminating employees.

briandear 10y ago

Why tax any of that? What's wrong with a consumption tax? You buy something, you pay a tax. Everything gets taxed equally and the government no longer gets to pick winners and losers based on the relative political power of the entity being taxed. The way it works now is that taxes are used to manipulate behavior rather than simply collecting money to provide services for citizens. Income taxes provide too much power to governments.

mcguire 10y ago
Not everyone gets taxed equally with a consumption tax. "You can only eat so much filet mignon," to quote a professor I once had. Non-progressive taxes (which is mostly what we have in the US now) provide too much power to the wealthy. Further, in non-totalitarian societies, the government isn't a separate entity---it is controlled by whoever has the most power in the society.
mason240 10y ago
I agree. I've long been a in favor a consumption tax such as FairTax, which gives everyone a "prebate" for taxes on the first $50,000 or so, to ensure it is still a progressive tax. However, I don't think that would work in a theoretical "post labor" world where only 25% or less of the population is actually employed.

talmand 10y ago

Except for the reduced tax revenue for the government, nothing changes at all.

delinka 10y ago

Had there been employees, taxes would also have been collected from them. Replacing employees with robots reduces tax revenue. Sure, additional profits going to the owners make for more tax paid by those owners, but not enough to offset the reduction in tax revenue caused by eliminating employees.