Replacing Tax People with Robots

You should perhaps feel sorry for tax people. No one likes them very much because of the job they do. Their friends tend to be other tax people as everyone is wary of what they can and cannot say when they are around. It seems however that some countries are replacing tax people with robots, making their tax systems more automated all the time. From the government’s point of view, replacing tax people with robots has many advantages. There should be fewer errors and less duplicated work.

New technology is allowing tax departments to be more data-driven and efficient, which in turn means the taxpayers get a better service. It makes the processes of submitting all types of tax and VAT returns simpler and results in enhanced compliance. The key to all of this is the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). This function connects systems, people and things with direct contact, and they are what enable mobile and web-based applications to work.

The UK has already started its initiative to make tax digital and the US has e-filing and is heading the same way. Israel is perhaps further forward than most countries with replacing tax people with robots, but governments have realized that this streamlined and automatic service provides improved interaction with taxpayers and means that it will be hard to operate ‘off the grid’.

Will Replacing Tax People with Robots Mean a Loss of Jobs?

Their roll of people who work in the tax offices may change, but they will still be needed. No automated service can be left to its own devices and be assumed to getting everything right. In theory, although that is what should happen, some things will still need to be checked. Also, where something that does not look quite right gets flagged by the robotic systems, it will need humans to investigate further.

There is More Than Tax People Being Replaced with Robots

There are many areas of the economies of the world that could be run much more efficiently and cheaply with robots at the helm. We have all got used to the seamless way we can carry out everyday transactions and payments and this ease is spreading to all corners of the financial world.

Struggling governments, which is most of them, are realizing how much better their economies could be if their finances were managed more efficiently and at a lower cost. This would free up more of the countries income to spend on essentials such as health care and education. This, in turn, would make the population more content and the hope is that the governing party will keep power when there is next an election.

Robots are entering all parts of any lives, often without us even realizing it. Some people are frightened of the progress that has been made with them, but much of the bad press they have had in the past is down to science fiction films and books that always portray them as the bad guys. In reality, robots can make a positive and good difference to the way we live, and take some of the more boring tasks off our shoulders