Politics · Germany · 1 hr ago
German digital minister proposes taxing AI revenue to fund job transition
Germany’s digital minister Karsten Wildberger wants to tax AI revenue earned in the country.
He says the money could help pay for changes to the labour market as artificial intelligence reshapes work.
Wildberger expects long-term employment to grow in different jobs from those people do today.
He says workers will need retraining and support to move into new roles, including in trades and care work.
Taxing AI revenue would help fund that transition, in his view.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has also called for taxes on robots and AI, partly to reduce incentives to replace workers with machines.
Wildberger has proposed the tax, but no next steps are given.
German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger has proposed taxing revenue from artificial intelligence in Germany.
He said the money could help pay for changes to the labour market.
Wildberger expects AI to transform work, with more jobs emerging over time in different fields.
He said funding would be needed for retraining and new work, including in trades and care.
- Who
- German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger, of the CDU.
- What
- He proposed taxing AI revenue in Germany to help fund changes to the labour market.
- When
- The proposal was reported on 13 October 2026.
- Where
- Germany.
- Why
- Wildberger said the money could help fund retraining and new jobs as AI changes the world of work.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Minister
- Karsten Wildberger
- Party
- CDU
- Proposal
- Tax AI revenue in Germany
- Proposed use of funds
- Labour-market transition, including retraining and new work
- Examples of new work
- Trades and care
What people are saying
We must tax the extremely high revenue from this technology, and with that money we can finance the transformation; that is also my approach.
If growth and value creation happen here, taxes must also be paid here.
Sources
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