You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Bill Gates Believes Robots That Steal Jobs Should Pay Taxes If you fear automation, listen to this billionaire's idea.

By Rose Leadem

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Bloomberg | Getty Images

Many people worry that robots will replace human jobs, but Bill Gates has a solution: a robot tax.

As robots begin to infiltrate the workforce, why shouldn't they be taxed just as humans are? In a recent interview with Quartz, Gates argued that in order to offset job losses due to automation, governments should tax companies that use robots.

Related: How Bill Gates Became a Leadership Legend

"Right now, the human worker who does, say, $50,000 worth of work in a factory, that income is taxed, and you get income tax, social security tax, all those things," Gates said. "If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think that we'd tax the robot at a similar level."

From factory workers to cashiers, those whose jobs might be in jeopardy from robots would have the opportunity to transition to other fields such as health services or education. A tax on robots could help fund the training needed for jobs such as caring for the elderly, teaching in schools and helping kids with special needs -- roles that robots can't fill.

Although taxing robots may slow innovation, Gates notes, a robot tax policy could allow displaced workers a sufficient amount of time to train for fields that need human workers.

Related: 10 Surprising Facts About Bill Gates

Gates's idea is not new. Last week, EU lawmakers considered a tax on robot owners and makers. Similar to Gates's idea, the tax was conceived of to train workers who had lost their jobs to robots. Ultimately, legislators rejected the proposal.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'Wildly Inappropriate': Woman Says She Was Denied a Job Because She Didn't Wear Makeup During the Interview

Melissa Weaver was applying for a VP of HR job at a tech company via video.

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Business News

Kevin O'Leary Says 'Do Not' Merge Finances, Bank Accounts With Your Spouse: 'I Forbid It in My Own Family'

The "Shark Tank" star stressed the importance of keeping your "own financial identity" in a relationship.

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)