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

 

由于害怕机器人取代人类工作造成大规模失业，韩国可能会成为世界首个推出“机器人税”的国家。

 

A new proposal could see the country reduce the amount of tax benefits for companies that invest in automated¹ machinery². 

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

"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 outlet³ The Korea Times. 

 

Currently, South Korean companies that invest in automation equipment can have up to 7 percent of their corporate⁴ tax rate deducted⁵. The new ruling however, will see this cut by up to 2 percent.

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