Preparing for an AI tax crisis
· 26 min
Episode Preparing for an AI tax crisis
If artificial intelligence really does replace human labor, the U.S. could be in for a tax revenue crisis. That’s because high unemployment shrinks the pool of taxable wages. In this episode, we visit Akron, Ohio — the former tire capital of the world — to learn what happens when lost jobs snowball into lost government funding. Plus: Economists hope for cake but will settle for crumbs in Fed Chair Warsh’s Jackson Hole Symposium speech, and a new plan for Colorado River drought management draws backlash.
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Read the stories in today’s episode:
• Will Fed Chair Warsh actually say anything in his big Friday speech? • Two years after Hurricane Helene, Asheville Tea Company finds a new home • What Akron's rubber bust can teach us about a possible AI tax crisis • The new Colorado River plan is out, and it's already under fire
Links in the notes 5
- https://www.marketplace.org/newsletters
- https://www.marketplace.org/
- https://www.marketplace.org/make-a-smart-investment
- https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/08/25/will-fed-chair-warsh-say-anything-substantial-at-jackson-hole
- https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/08/25/linking-akrons-rubber-bust-to-a-possible-ai-tax-crisis
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