As consumers shift to online shopping and new businesses increasingly focus investments on digital products and services, governments around the world need to update old tax rules to avoid losing tax revenue.
(Shutterstock)
As Canada’s federal government sends mixed signals on digital taxation, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a historic precedent and paves the way for other countries to tackle the digital economy.
In many US cities, ride-hailing apps are luring riders away from public transit and increasing traffic congestion. But with the right rules, they could enhance public transit instead.
A damning report lists a number of questionable design decisions that appear to greatly increase the risks of a crash.
Though Google has reported significantly more profits in Australia, the profit margins of the local company remain very low compared to its worldwide group.
DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP
It is well known that modern multinationals such as Google can derive substantial revenue and profits from Australia without significant physical presence here.
Uber and Lyft drivers shouldn’t celebrate just yet.
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
The California Supreme Court made it harder to classify workers as independent contractors. But it’s not quite the ‘game changer’ some observers claim it to be.
Online drivers work independently. But to improve their working conditions, drivers need to organise collectively.
findracadabra/www.shutterstock.com
Drivers for online ride-hailing services face several social conditions that may challenge their efforts to transform collective action into a solid union.
On March 18 in Tempe, Arizona, an Uber self-driving car struck and killed Elaine Herzberg, who was walking her bicycle across a street. The human driver was supposed to be monitoring the car’s behaviour, but did not do so. Its systems apparently did not detect the victim, as it neither slowed down nor tried to avoid hitting Herzberg
Wikimedia
Companies developing autonomous vehicles are missing out on the local knowledge and values of the people who live where these cars are tested. And that lack of engagement sets up bigger problems.
There are calls for strong action, including criminal prosecution, following a fatal accident involving an Uber self-driving car.
Uber
Elaine Herzberg’s death will provide the impetus for clearer liability rules for self-driving cars. Australia is wise to adopt a wait-and-watch approach and maintain its human-first orientation.
Autonomous vehicles are information-rich platforms thanks to the range of sensors on board that track, monitor and measure everything.
Uber
Sensors that monitor everything a self-driving vehicle does can help determine who is responsible in the case of an accident – the manufacturer, the service centre or the vehicle owner.
Many gig workers are classified as independent contractors, leaving them without minimum wages and other workplace protections. Creating a new category of worker could fix that.