In what is surely a Hansard first, independent (ex-Labour) MP Neil Duncan-Jordan has asked the Treasury if it’s considered taxing businesses for “each AI agent” they use as a substitute for National Insurance. ‘Have you considered taxing the robots?’
In a written question eventually answered by Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson this morning (the Chancellor was too busy shredding Labour’s manifesto), Duncan-Jordan asked:
“To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the potential merits of requiring businesses to pay a tax equivalent to employer National Insurance contributions for each AI agent that performs tasks previously done by people.”
Tomlinson, tasked with pointing out the blindingly obvious to a fellow legislator, replied:
“Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) are charged based on employee earnings. As AI agents do not receive earnings, it is not clear on what basis employer NICs would be levied.”
These people make our laws…
David Lammy was asked on Times Radio if scrapping jury trials would eliminate the court backlog by the next election:
“It won’t be eliminated by the next election. That’s impossible. We just have 84 Crown courts across our country and 500 courtrooms.”