LY Gives the Green Light: Smart Avatar Tax Will Take Effect Next Year— Clarify The Whole Story of the Bill in one go

【LY Gives the Green Light: Smart Avatar Tax Will Take Effect Next Year— Clarify The  Whole Story of the Bill in one go!】December 21, 2040

《Contracted Robots Subjected to Higher Taxation》

After nearly a year of debates among industry, government, and academia on the subject of taxing robots, the robot taxation bill was passed through the third reading in the Legislative Yuan this afternoon. In alignment with the Smart City Development Act, starting from February 11, 2041, companies or individuals utilizing robots for interactive service-oriented labor will be required to apply for a unique robot identification number from the Ministry of Labor's Robotics Division. Their profits will be subjected to higher taxation under the collective term 'Smart Avatar Tax,' which includes individual income tax, smart social welfare tax, fourth-generation health insurance, technology service tax, new electricity tax, and robot licensing tax, amounting to a total tax rate of 43%. This move has raised concerns among citizens about potential infringement upon personal property usage freedom.

《The Last Mile of the K-Shaped Society?》

Following the 2030 Big Immigrate to Metaverse event, more and more DINK households have been utilizing domestic robots (Level Beta) for outsourcing AI doppelganger services and other decentralized economic models, earning supplemental income. While immigrants return to the 'real world' for a few hours each day, the time spent away is used for robot-assisted outsourcing work. As robots can tirelessly work for up to 23 hours with an almost zero error rate, they have been generating income that surpasses their primary occupations. While this model has enabled DINK households to amass considerable wealth, it has resulted in severe hardships for the grassroots workforce in the service industry. The following is an in-depth report based on interviews conducted by our news team:

Restaurant Manager (Mr. Chen) said, "The current generation of robots is highly efficient. They are easy to train, may not excel in sales, but they can handle difficult customers without losing their temper. Additionally, children love interacting with them. This month, we will even have openings specifically for robots to take on outsourced services."

Service Industry Employee (Mr. Li) expressed, "These robots are now taking away our jobs, and those DINK households are using robots to take orders and apply for job positions. However, they sign rental contracts with operators for a daily fee, which is even lower than the basic salary. The worst part is, they are not even required to pay taxes. We, the grassroots service industry workers, have become professional refugees."

Taipei-based DINK (Ms. Huang) mentioned, "Working in the metaverse can be really exhausting. It involves sitting or lying down all day long. Therefore, when I return home, having a robot to handle household chores and odd jobs, giving massages, and accepting orders to earn money is a tremendous relief. Moreover, since 2037, the government has been providing subsidies for domestic robots, with a maximum of 28% subsidy. I find this to be extremely cost-effective!"

《Controversy Surrounding Taxation Items?》

While the industry, government, and academia unanimously agree that earning revenue through the use of robots should be taxed, there is a significant disagreement regarding the specific tax items. Conservative proponents argue that robots are mere tools, and their applications involve breaking mobility restrictions using connected vehicles and 6G communication for conditional three-dimensional mobility. By performing perception-based service tasks through cloud computing to earn revenue, they should only be taxed under smart social welfare tax, new electricity tax, robot licensing tax, and property tax. Scholars, however, are concerned that any deviation in defining the taxable items may trigger a new round of ethical disputes in technology.

Another faction contends that, unlike production-oriented robots and automated servicings used in smart spaces, domestic service robots with social interfaces enable autonomous servicing, evoking feelings of warmth, pleasure, and trust in those receiving the service. Consequently, due to their human-like social foundation, they should be taxed under individual income tax, fourth-generation health insurance, technology service tax, and carbon tax, with a definition as smart avatars.

Dr. Nibiru, an influencer tracking this event on social media, stated in a post, "We know that Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, the three major high-tech countries in East Asia, have also been the world's top three aging societies since 2035. Thus, concerning Taiwan's groundbreaking implementation of the 'Smart Avatar Tax,' I must tell the truth—it's December 21, 2040, the day of humanity's singularity, but we are only three minutes away from doomsday."

Note: Robot Development Milestones:

2035: Level Alpha – Fully automated service
2038: Level Beta – Simulated autonomous service
2041: Level Gamma – Simulated six-sense experience service
2049: Level Omega – Unknown, yet to be defined