Should Robots be Taxed?
Using a quantitative model that features technical progress in automation and endogenous skill choice, we show that, given the current U.S. tax system, a sustained fall in automation costs can lead to a massive rise in income inequality. We characterize the optimal tax system in this model. We find that it is optimal to tax robots while the current generations of routine workers, who can no longer move to non-routine occupations, are active in the labor force. Once these workers retire, optimal robot taxes are zero.
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Copy CitationJoao Guerreiro, Sergio Rebelo, and Pedro Teles, "Should Robots be Taxed?," NBER Working Paper 23806 (2017), https://doi.org/10.3386/w23806.Download Citation
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Published Versions
Joao Guerreiro & Sergio Rebelo & Pedro Teles, 2022. "Should Robots Be Taxed?," The Review of Economic Studies, vol 89(1), pages 279-311. citation courtesy of 
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