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A robot tax: An answer to automation and job loss?

Roger Showely, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

Friday, September 29, 2017

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Automated robots fetches merchandise from aisles at HBC distribution center in Toronto, Canada.Automated robots fetch merchandise from aisles at the Hudson's Bay Company distribution center in Toronto, Canada. (Fred Thornhill / Reuters)

Kelly Cunningham, National University System - NO: The information-age economy is real and here to stay. We can't wall ourselves off from it with protectionist tariffs, government programs, greater taxes and more regulations. We all benefit when automation drastically reduces production costs, even in the short run if some workers find themselves displaced and need retraining. Those who complain about economic innovation have a failure of perspective. Efforts to limit and control change with more taxation and controls impede advances from happening.