According to this X post, Tesla is planning to manufacture 5,000 Optimus robots this year, and over 10,000 next year … This is before Full Self-Drive (FSD) displaces any drivers …
https://x.com/thefernandocz/status/1923741437109338280
My idea is simple: If a humanoid robot or FSD vehicle replaces a human, the robot pays the National Insurance contribution for the person they replaced.
Let’s keep it at that level, because it’s easier to see the problem and the solution on a one-in-one-out basis.
Quoting from the Grok link at the bottom:
“Opponents, including industry groups, claim it penalises efficiency and innovation. They argue automation’s benefits (higher productivity, economic growth) outweigh job displacement, and displaced workers can be supported through existing tax systems.”
“Pro: robot tax could replace lost income tax from displaced workers, fund universal basic income (UBI), or support retraining. Advocates … argue it ensures fairness as robots don’t bear social costs (e.g., pensions).”
The opponents’ argument seems pretty weak to me, but I’ve never run a large company, and testing the idea is the whole point of posting it here.
The purchase cost of the robot is capital expenditure, with all the usual allowances and write-offs, again not my area, feel free to add detail there. It requires no installation. It does need power, maintenance and repair.
But no holidays, sick leave or pension. And, above all, no salary.
There’s a lot more to this but I want to see if it’s a non-starter before investing anymore time and effort refining details.
For instance, there’s an argument the bot should pay the displaced person’s income tax, but it doesn’t, techincally have an income, it is an overhead … Right? Or it could “pay” the net salary of the employee … into the employees bank account?
This is complex. Which makes it all the more pressing to start figuring it out now, before we end up with more UBI recipients than there are people to pay them.
Research: Grok 3.5: https://grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5_f40ac8be-ee6e-458e-955a-a27d3ad7775f
