Ex-Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Pushes for AI Tax Over Payroll Tax

Andrew Yang, the 2020 presidential candidate, renewed his call for an AI tax on CNBC's Power Lunch. He argues the government should tax artificial intelligence (AI) instead of payroll.

Yang co-founded the Forward Party and now runs Noble Mobile as chief executive. He said firms skip payroll taxes and healthcare costs by choosing AI over new hires.

Andrew Yang's AI Tax Push

Yang built his political brand on automation warnings during his 2020 campaign. He proposed a universal basic income plan he called the Freedom Dividend. He also backed cryptocurrency adoption and clearer digital asset rules as a candidate.

His comments echo remarks from March, when he told CNBC's Squawk Box the government should stop taxing labor. That debate has also drawn similar AI job displacement concerns from sitting US senators.

Yang pointed to Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who floated a 3% AI revenue tax in 2025. Amodei said the levy would apply each time a model generates revenue.