This event was hosted by the Institute of Tax Law and featured Anne Fairpo discussing how automation in business will affect taxation.
The increasing use of automation in business seems likely to accelerate the displacement of labour in many areas; unlike previous industrial revolutions, this now goes well beyond the displacement of manual labour. Given the reliance of most government on employment taxes (including social security) and sales taxes, a substantial proportion of which are paid by employed consumers, this trend could lead to a significant reduction in taxes raised by governments at a time of increased reliance on government support by that displaced labour.
This seminar will explore these issues, and how tax policy could be used to mitigate the potential reduction in taxes raised.
Watch the full event on YouTube.
Anne is former visiting professor at Queen Mary University of London, where she taught an LLM module on Taxation and Technology. She is now a judge in the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber), having also previously been a barrister specialising in international tax law and the taxation of intellectual property.