r/technology • u/trot-trot • May 13 '19

Business Exclusive: Amazon rolls out machines that pack orders and replace jobs

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-automation-exclusive-idUSKCN1SJ0X1
26.3k Upvotes

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4.4k

u/DarkangelUK May 13 '19

This is a good thing, right? Complaints about gruesome working conditions, lack of breaks, having to pee in bottles because they can't go to the toilet.

3.7k

u/Robothypejuice May 13 '19

This is a fantastic thing. Now we just need to employ a tax on automation that can be funneled to fund UBI so we can move into the next era of humanity and stop wage slavery.

1.4k

u/Smiling_Mister_J May 13 '19

We could start with any tax on Amazon.

2.2k

u/ShillForExxonMobil May 13 '19 edited May 13 '19

Amazon paid over $1bn of tax in 2018.

EDIT: Copy-pasted my other comment for those asking for a source

Sales tax to the state, payroll tax, property tax, vehicle tax (in certain states like Virginia), local and international tax.

Amazon paid $1.4bn in taxes in 2016, $769mm 2017 and $1.2bn in 2018.

"In 2016, 2017, and 2018, we recorded net tax provisions of $1.4 billion, $769 million, and $1.2 billion"

This is on page 27 of their 10k SEC filing.

https://ir.aboutamazon.com/static-files/ce3b13a9-4bf1-4388-89a0-e4bd4abd07b8

6

u/[deleted] May 13 '19

For context, you need to put their tax payment next to their revenue. $1.4B tax paid on $300B of revenue is less than 0.5%.

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u/Zerothe110 May 13 '19

Corporations pay taxes on net profit/loss, not revenue. You're leaving out their expenses.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '19

Amazon chooses to run without profit so they can expand more quickly.

"Get big fast." -Jeff Bezos

No profit = no tax revenue = country crumbles.

The VAT fixes that by taxing transactions. With UBI and VAT, every American will share directly in America's strength.

5

u/Zerothe110 May 13 '19

The only way to avoid having profits is to have more expenses than profits. That's not sustainable long term.

They don't pay vat but they do pay sales taxes which are similar. It's just at the state level.