Amid fears about robots replacing human jobs, South Korea could become the first country in the world to introduce a "robot tax".
由于害怕机器人取代人类工作,韩国或将成为世界上首个推出“机器人税”的国家。
A new proposal could see the country reduce the amount of tax benefits for companies that invest in automated machinery.
根据一项新议案,韩国可能减少对投资自动化机械的企业的税收优惠额度。
So while it's not exactly a direct tax on robots, it looks like the government is making investment in robotics less appealing for companies.
因此,尽管没有直接向机器人征税,但政府貌似有意降低投资机器人对企业的吸引力。
South Korea has the highest concentration of robots in the world, with 531 multipurpose industrial robots for every 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry.
韩国制造业中,每万名工人使用多用途工业机器人531台,是世界上机器人使用密度最高的国家。
Currently, South Korean companies that invest in automation equipment can have up to 7% of their corporate tax rate deducted. The new ruling, however, will see this cut by up to 2%.
目前,投资自动化设备的韩国企业可以享受最高7%的公司税率减免。但这一新规最多将削减2%的减免幅度。
The country's unemployment rate hit a 17-year high earlier this year, with some 1.17 million jobless people.
今年早些时候,韩国的失业率创17年来新高,失业人口约为117万。