Could go a lot of ways. Ideally, automation should eliminate not the need to do work, but the need to do work you don't want to do just to make enough money to stay alive. In other words a world where following your life's ambitions or inclinations does not ever need to be put aside for considerations of earning a steady enough income to make a living. I imagine that we might get a lot more artists, writers, inventors, researchers and so on if fewer people had to concern themselves with just making ends meet. Most people DO like to work, if the work is something they are fond of and are appreciated for.
Actually, between tariffs and sales taxes and property taxes that distinction is blurred. Here the power company paid almost 800 million in taxes by itself last year. The State Triples property tax on utilities and doubles it on business property. They are obviously incentivized to go where the money is and dig it out at the source.
Yeah I know. But I should have gone further into the sausage and pointed to the problem being created that pushes some on this point as well. I have 2 immigrant kids working on some kind of federal work permission. They have been given what amounts to a social security number on the W9 forms but its more like a fein or business entity number because I cannot hire them as W2 workers. That means no 10% employer tax for medicare and social security. No weekly income tax or medicare or unemployment insurance or social security contribution either. Sure they may pay some taxes to stay in the country but its just odd. And there are as many of them as immigrants coming over the border. I have seen nothing that explains it to me either. I see the tax the robot idea as socialists flailing about looking for revenue because the immigrants are not allowed to participate. Definitely nobody that understands private property making these choices out there. For example, while these boys cannot start a company here, they can buy an existing one. Then they have a balance sheet and better deductions than a w2 worker. About all that is left is taxing the assets or the sales of the company. If they aquire paper liabilities it would offset their income on the company, see? Anyway, the more there are the more there will be, as established immigrants often get paid very well to assist others who intend to come here. I have learned more from those two kids than I want to know.
What tariffs on USA companies? Foreign yes as they don’t play by the rules-slave labor, no OSHA rules, etc. what give away government programs have done is make the last few generations lazy and entitled. So there is little incentive to educate yourself or work. Property taxes don’t work that way in Indiana as business will relocate if forced to pay property taxes. As far as utility companies, they just pass on any additional taxes in the form of rate hikes.
Tariffs are basically what Richard Nixon gave us when they snickered that "Only Nixon could go to China". You should call them a Federal Sales Tax or more appropriately a Federal Wholesale Tax on imports. To my knowledge nothing like that exists for domestic production. The Dick helped ensure that the income stream would favor global companies over domestics. Occasionally the government gets it right. I import from China. I pay 25% in Federal and State and local taxes plus freight. We are a service and don't sell product. Sort of like a painter or wall paper hanger. One of the domestic importers I shopped told me that one of his customers imports 500 high cube trailers per day. Those are the 40 foot long ones. Lotsa tariff money. Happy longshoremen unions and Trucker unions as well if you remember the Nixon years.
