韓國(guó)擬推出世界首個(gè)“機(jī)器人稅”

韓國(guó)是世界上機(jī)器人使用程度最高的國(guó)家，但是現(xiàn)在韓國(guó)卻要把矛頭對(duì)準(zhǔn)機(jī)器人，成為首個(gè)征收“機(jī)器人稅”的國(guó)家。由于國(guó)內(nèi)失業(yè)率創(chuàng)下十七年來(lái)的新高，而罪魁禍?zhǔn)缀苡锌赡苁菣C(jī)器人，韓國(guó)政府決定降低對(duì)自動(dòng)化企業(yè)的稅收優(yōu)惠，以減少企業(yè)投資機(jī)器人的意愿，鼓勵(lì)企業(yè)雇傭更多人類勞工。

Amid fears about robots replacing human jobs, South Korea could become the first country in the world to introduce a "robot tax."

由于害怕機(jī)器人取代人類工作造成大規(guī)模失業(yè)，韓國(guó)可能會(huì)成為世界首個(gè)推出“機(jī)器人稅”的國(guó)家。

A new proposal could see the country reduce the amount of tax benefits for companies that invest in automated machinery.

一項(xiàng)新提議提出韓國(guó)政府減少對(duì)投資自動(dòng)化機(jī)械企業(yè)的稅收優(yōu)惠。

So while it's not exactly a direct tax on robots, it looks like the government is making investment in robotics less appealing for companies.

盡管政府并不是直接向機(jī)器人征稅，但看起來(lái)政府將降低企業(yè)投資機(jī)器人的意愿。

South Korea has the highest concentration of robots in the world, with 531 multipurpose industrial robots for every 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry.

韓國(guó)制造業(yè)中，工人和機(jī)器人的比例是一萬(wàn)比531，是世界上機(jī)器人使用密度最高的國(guó)家。

"Though it is not about a direct tax on robots, it can be interpreted as a similar kind of policy considering that both involve the same issue of industrial automation," an industry source told news outlet The Korea Times.

一位業(yè)內(nèi)人士告訴《韓國(guó)時(shí)報(bào)》：“雖然不是直接對(duì)機(jī)器人征稅，但因?yàn)橥瑯由婕肮I(yè)自動(dòng)化的問(wèn)題，所以可以看作類似的政策。”

Currently, South Korean companies that invest in automation equipment can have up to 7 percent of their corporate tax rate deducted. The new ruling however, will see this cut by up to 2 percent.

目前，韓國(guó)政府對(duì)投資工業(yè)自動(dòng)化設(shè)備的企業(yè)提供稅收減免，幅度最高達(dá)7%。但新稅收政策出臺(tái)后，稅率最多只能優(yōu)惠2%。

But does South Korea really have a reason to be worried?

韓國(guó)是否只是杞人憂天呢?

Perhaps so. The country's unemployment rate hit a 17-year high earlier this year, with some 1.17 million jobless people.

恐怕不是。今年，韓國(guó)的失業(yè)率創(chuàng)下17年來(lái)新高，失業(yè)人口約為117萬(wàn)。

It's difficult to say if the increase in unemployment rate is actually linked to an increase in automation, but at the very least, the money saved from reducing the tax incentives could be channelled to welfare programs.

很難說(shuō)失業(yè)率上升是否真的與自動(dòng)化程度提高有關(guān)，但至少可以說(shuō)，從降低稅收激勵(lì)節(jié)省出來(lái)的資金可以用于社會(huì)福利項(xiàng)目。

But this isn't the first time the idea of a "robot tax" has been suggested.

不過(guò)，征收“機(jī)器人稅”并不是什么新鮮事。

In February, Bill Gates came out in favour of introducing similar measures, saying that working robots should be taxed at a similar rate to their human counterparts.

今年二月，比爾•蓋茨就公開(kāi)支持對(duì)機(jī)器人征稅，并表示工作機(jī)器人應(yīng)該繳納與它們的人類同事一樣多的稅。

"For a human worker who does $50,000 worth of work in a factory, the income is taxed," Gates had told news outlet Quartz.

“如果一個(gè)人類工人在工廠創(chuàng)造了五萬(wàn)美元的產(chǎn)值，賺到的錢(qián)要繳稅。”蓋茨告訴《石英》雜志。

"If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think that we'd tax the robot at a similar level."

“如果一個(gè)機(jī)器人做了同樣的事情，我們應(yīng)該以類似稅率對(duì)機(jī)器人征稅。”

Gates was later criticised for his comments, with some saying he was "holding back progress."

之后便有人對(duì)蓋茨的言論提出批評(píng)，有人說(shuō)他是“阻礙進(jìn)步”。

South Korea's current tax laws are set to expire at the end of the year, after which the new proposals are expected to take effect.

韓國(guó)目前的稅法將在今年年底失效，之后“機(jī)器人稅”提議有望被批準(zhǔn)實(shí)施。