Your point is very good Mark Elkins. I think Bill Gates is trying to simulate such a debate ... on what is the role of humans in an automated, mechanized, and robotized society. Traditionally, human labour has been considered as a factor of production. If we declare millions of human labour redundant, and there are no security measure build around it, where will humans go? How will they earn their food, education, healthcare, and shelter? Taxation is such a measure that build social security net around humanity. So that the robots can produce, and the enterprises pay government for upkeep of it's people, instead of hoarding the end products of robots in vaults, and other forms of securities. ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya twitter.com/lordmwesh On 28 February 2017 at 15:46, Mark Elkins via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
I do agree though that if automation removed the jobs of existing people, they should be somehow compensated - either moved to a new job internally or re-trained or something positive. Usually with automation, the company can be expanded (make more profit) - which should mean more human staff. That would be the ethical thing to do. I don't see this as a tax though.
On 28/02/2017 13:33, Mark Elkins via kictanet wrote:
This is probably the best reply so far!
Personally, a robot is a tool. This could be my coffee maker making a cup of freshly ground coffee rather than a human taking the beans, grounding them with stones, adding them to boiling water - etc... all by hand. Agh.
On 28/02/2017 11:19, awatila--- via kictanet wrote:
I think in the discussion the original purpose of taxation is forgotten.
A human being pays tax to the government to cover the cost of the common services provided by the government.
What are this services that the robot will be consuming from the government that they need to pay for?
Regards,
Alex
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
From: Mark Kipyegon via kictanet Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 12:06 PM To: awatila@yahoo.co.uk Cc: Mark Kipyegon Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why Bill Gates would tax robots
During the Industrial Revolution, critics of mechanisation would use similar arguments. Advances in technology should be embraced.
On 28 Feb 2017, at 10:25, "kictanet-request@lists.kictanet.or.ke" <kictanet-request@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Message: 3
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2017 10:21:47 +0300
From: Job Muriuki <muriukin@gmail.com>
To: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com>
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why Bill Gates would tax robots
Message-ID:
<CAJ+RKRbKRsadcYewDv-zEiAN0dpVKryxHye64aUc0FSB5toOkA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Barrack,
Am in business and I know it's the bottom line that counts at the expense
of people.
Now we further what to fire the already strained employee replace them with
a robot
for a fatter bank account and cash you don't need.
I believe Bill Gates been the billionaire he is has realised you can have
all the cash
and wealth you can get but it all without meaning what really matters is
the humanity.
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