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The proposed introduction of a “national dividend” system, aimed at redistributing excess tax revenue generated from windfall profits earned by companies during the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, is premature, Nobel Prize-winning economist Peter Howitt said Friday. The so-called AI dividend proposal surfaced earlier this week after Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, suggested using excess tax revenues generated from the country’s booming AI and semiconductor industries, led by companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, to provide citizens with a form of national dividend. The proposal, rooted in the idea that the country’s AI infrastructure was built through decades of nationwide investment and support, immediately sparked controversy. Howitt said Korea’s fiscally responsible growth policies have been supported in part by rising tax revenues from highly profitable large corporations, which help fund government programs benefiting the broader public. He added that while some are questioning whether this is sufficient and whether redistribution s