The case for taxing robots -- or not MIT Sloan

Should your Roomba need a W-2? Probably not, but it's an amusing thought when debating the more serious topic of whether or not a robot should have to pay taxes -- and how to do it. During the June MIT Technology Review EmTech Next event, two experts argued both sides of the question before an audience at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ryan Abbott, professor of law and health sciences at the University of Surrey, argued in favor of taxing robots, while Ryan Avent, economics columnist for The Economist, argued against the idea. Both agreed there needs to be a shift in tax burden from labor to capital. Avent, however, carried the most audience votes by the end of the debate. Here are some highlights from each of the men's arguments.