In 2017, District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim pushed for a "robot tax" by launching a statewide campaign called Jobs of the Future Fund. Kim proposed extending a payroll tax to robots that "perform jobs humans currently do." Revenue generated from the tax would fund workforce development programs for workers displaced by automation. In response to Kim's campaign, sf.citi released a report, "Taxing Innovation: The Challenge of Regulating Job Automation," which aggregated research on automation and the future of work. The paper concluded that "[r]obots will change the way we work, but they can't replace us." The sf.citi report also offered three recommendations for legislators to consider as they explore future regulation around automation. A "robot tax" has not been carried forward at either the state or local level.
