Show HN: A Tax System That Captures Automation's Value

A system designed to solve a structural problem: modern economies no longer generate enough taxable income to fund public infrastructure once automation, AI, and capital loops dominate value creation.

PUT replaces income and corporate taxes with footprint-based contributions collected automatically at the payment-rail layer. It protects essentials, eliminates compliance overhead, and treats labor, capital, and automation identically.

This white paper (the first of a three-part series) focuses on the collection layer: • how usage/footprint is measured, • how contribution is applied in real time, • why the base becomes broad and stable, • and how the system works without surveillance or reporting.

Full paper (Markdown): PUT White Paper I.md

Feedback, critique, and stress tests welcome.