San Fransisco mulls introducing America’s first “Robot Tax”
As the level of automation around the world increases governments are increasingly considering taxing robots, and, more specifically, machines that "automate" human jobs
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Griffin, M. (2017) 'San Fransisco mulls introducing America’s first “Robot Tax”', 311 Institute, 23 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/san-fransisco-mulls-introducing-americas-first-robot-tax/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Artificial Intelligence (AI), robots and other Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools are now handling more and more of the work that used to be done by humans, and in San Francisco, where the robo revolution is moving a little faster than other parts of the US, robots could soon take on another human characteristic - being taxed. Welcome to the world robots.
City Supervisor Jane Kim is pushing for a “robot tax,” along similar lines to the one South Korea are going to implement, which means that business owners, like CaliBurger who recently automated their burger flippers, would have to pay when a robot takes over a job once done by a human. It's an idea that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates brought up earlier this year.
In an interview with Quartz, Gates suggested that a robot tax would slow the pace of automation, and give those who might be displaced by a digital worker a chance to train for another job, and as he sees it, robots should be taxed the same as humans. So, if a machine replaces a factory worker who was making $50,000 a year, the robot tax would equal the amount the business and worker would have paid in taxes and social security. The only problem here of course is that as the technology gets better and faster you won’t just see one robot replace one human you’ll see one replace dozens.
Kim, who says she got the idea for the tax from that interview, is currently talking to tech leaders, public policy makers, and labour groups in San Francisco to determine how the tax might be implemented. The basic premise is that funds raised from the tax would be used to help displaced works or to develop some sort of Universal Base Income initiative like the ones we’ve seen pop up in Canada, Finland Scotland, and the US.
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As the level of automation around the world increases governments are increasingly considering taxing robots, and, more specifically, machines that "automate" human jobs
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Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Microsoft fortune.com
- Bill gates the robot that takes your job should pay taxes qz.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 23 September 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). San Fransisco mulls introducing America’s first “Robot Tax”. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/san-fransisco-mulls-introducing-americas-first-robot-tax/
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