Make robots pay taxes? Feds mull ways to adapt to job site automation, ‘gig’ economy

Make robots pay taxes? Feds mull ways to adapt to job site automation, ‘gig’ economy

Print this page A bricklaying robot known as SAM (Semi-Automated Mason) is one of the many examples of the drive toward further automation within the construction industry. PHOTO: Construction Robotics/YouTube OTTAWA—The Liberals have been told to consider taxing robots that displace workers, letting people pay their tax bill in kind rather than with cash, and work to prevent income inequality before it happens.

The ideas are part of a massive government effort to adapt to a rapidly changing workforce and stave off some of the strain it could cause on federal finances.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the access […]

Make robots pay taxes? Documents detail ideas to adapt to changing labour force

Make robots pay taxes? Documents detail ideas to adapt to changing labour force

The Liberals have been told to consider taxing robots that displace workers, letting people pay their tax bill in kind rather than with cash, and work to prevent income inequality before it happens.

The ideas are part of a massive government effort to adapt to a rapidly changing workforce and stave off some of the strain it could cause on federal finances.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the access to information law provide a window into the ideas the Liberals have been asked to consider as they modernize the social safety net and labour regulations.All the ideas are aimed […]

My turn: Working people must have a voice in our future

My turn: Working people must have a voice in our future

One in 12 Californians work independently, so-called gig economy workers. Photo via Pexels. For generations America’s promise has been that opportunity to create a better life for your family awaits if you work hard and play by the rules. But this Labor Day, that promise is more out of reach than ever for an increasing number of people.

Income inequality skyrockets as more of our nation’s gains go to an increasingly smaller group. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average chief executive officer of the 350 largest companies in the US raked in a whopping $18.9 million in compensation […]

Thanks to AI, the need for humans to work for survival could soon be at an end

Thanks to AI, the need for humans to work for survival could soon be at an end

Should we fear the rise of the robots? Earlier this month, a report warned that over 6 million workers in the UK fear losing their jobs as a result of developments in automation. The Bank of England has gone further: its own study in 2015 estimated that 15 million British jobs could be at risk; more recently Mark Carney, the bank’s governor, suggested job losses caused by the technological revolution could re-create conditions seen after the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The response to these warnings has been a flurry of comments in national newspapers, coloured by […]

The philosophy of profit over people

The philosophy of profit over people

Dear Editor,

The present world population is 7.6 billion as of August 2018 according to the most recent United Nations estimates. This is a testament of the success of human beings. From a biological perspective, we have been able to reach unprecedented population and still increasing with no end in sight. NASA plans to make oxygen from the atmosphere of Mars. Human beings are planning to take our species to populate distance planets in the future. In Belize people are more down to earth and care more about their quality of life, but everything is connected. In our modern world […]

Editorial: Raising minimum wage would cost jobs

Editorial: Raising minimum wage would cost jobs

Ballot drives for a $12 minimum wage and mandatory sick time appear to be headed for consideration in the Republican-controlled Legislature after Labor Day.

The calculus that has Republicans considering a move that would normally be anathema to their free-market principles is a political one, not an economic one.

The proposals likely would be a big lure for liberal-leaning voters to come out to the polls. That’s the situation Republicans are trying to avert in a year when many expect Democrats to make big gains, fueled by anti-Trump fervor. By passing the measures, the Legislature can keep the proposals off the […]

Britain faces social unrest because swathes of people are set to lose their jobs in robot revolution, Bank of England’s chief economist warns

Britain faces social unrest because swathes of people are set to lose their jobs in robot revolution, Bank of England's chief economist warns

There are calls for a massive skills drive to find employment for those set to be affected by the next wave of automation (file picture) There are calls for a massive skills drive to find employment for those set to be affected by the next wave of automation (file picture)

Britain faces the threat of social unrest as robots take ‘swathes’ of jobs, the Bank of England’s chief economist warned today.

Andy Haldane said the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will see ‘the machine replacing humans doing thinking things’.He cautioned that the ‘dark side’ of the change could be disruption on a […]

“People plus machines, not people or machines”: experts respond to Bank of England AI comments

“People plus machines, not people or machines”: experts respond to Bank of England AI comments

Andy Haldane, chief economist of the Bank of England, has warned that the spread of AI in the workplace could disrupt the job market and lead to “rising inequality”. However, not everyone shares his views.

He told the BBC that the “fourth Industrial Revolution” could lead to “job loss displacement” on a scale not seen before, particularly manual jobs. He fears that the introduction of AI could leave many “technologically unemployed” and leave thousands of jobs at risk of becoming obsolete.

Haldane is not alone in this view, with the common rhetoric surrounding AI still focusing on the danger it poses […]

Droids to steal ‘swathes’ of jobs in ‘dark robot revolution’, warns top economist

Droids to steal ‘swathes’ of jobs in ‘dark robot revolution’, warns top economist

ROBOTS are poised to take "swathes" of jobs from humans – and not just manual labour roles, either.

A leading economist has warned that as robotic tech improves, we could see the "dark side" of a fourth industrial revolution. Reuters The Bank of England’s Chief Economist Andy Haldane has warned over a robot takeover GETTY – CONTRIBUTOR Robots will nick 56 percent of low-wage jobs in the next two decades, predicts the UN Andy Haldane, chief economist at the, Bank of England said: "The first three industrial revolutions have been about largely machines replacing humans doing principally manual tasks, whereas […]

Will the continued rise of automation cause widespread job losses?

Will the continued rise of automation cause widespread job losses?

It is clear that the jobs most likely to fall victim to automation are the low-skilled ones, especially the ones that involve tasks that can be mimicked by a machine

As labour-saving technologies advance, concerns regarding job security will likely rise in tandem. According to a study by PwC, 37 percent of the 10,000 people surveyed across five countries were worried automation would put jobs at risk. The bulk of available evidence seems to suggest there is little reason to worry, as the net effect on employment will likely be small and may, in fact, result in gains. But dealing […]