Jeff Bezos has a surprising idea for what should happen to millions of Americans’ taxes
Jeff Bezos is having his say on taxes - as the billionaire says the bottom half of U.S. earners shouldn't have to pay income tax.
Bezos spoke about his parents, his father, who is a Cuban immigrant, and his mom, who was 17-years-old when she gave birth to him. He says his parents both 'brought themselves up'.
"I look at that, and I think, 'I want to make sure that the people who are struggling today have a chance to do that to, to bring themselves up and maybe they're going to be the next Steve Jobs. Maybe one of their kids will be the next Steve Jobs,'" he said in an interview with CNBC.
"But we can give them a better chance, by eliminating their tax bill."
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Bezos said he didn't want to just reduce it, but erase it all together, telling the outlet that 'there was something very powerful about zero,' he said, referencing the 'free shipping' on Amazon.
He then made a plea to 'stop taxing' people who are starting out and struggling. He went on to say there was 'no need' for it, as the United States is the 'wealthiest and greatest' country in the world'.
In 2023, the top 5% of earners which are people with incomes $272,209 and above, paid over $1.27 trillion in income taxes, which is 60% of the National Total.
Bezos, is the third richest man in the world, according to Forbes, which puts his net worth at $266.6B.
Bezos founded the global online shop in 1994 after quitting his Wall Street job.
Elsewhere in the interview, Bezos was asked whether he would go to Washington to talk about his thoughts on taxes with President Donald Trump, who he has a relationship with.
"I'm certainly going to advocate for this," he said.
Bezos, who has worked with every President since Bill Clinton, said he hoped to work with future Presidents to come, saying it was the job of business leaders to 'share our ideas'.
Despite their relationship starting off frosty, things have become warmer between the pair in recent years.
The President was even on the guest list for Bezo's huge wedding in Venice, Italy, last year, in which he married Lauren Sanchez.
The couple had a star studded guest list, including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, and although he was invited, Trump was no where to be seen.
However, the reasoning wasn't their past feud, it was in fact, as simple as scheduling conflicts.
White House officials confirmed that Trump was indeed on the guest list, but he had to decline the invite as a result of scheduling conflicts, as per The Telegraph.
However, the President's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, did attend the big day, as well as their children.
Topics: Jeff Bezos
Kiesha Dosanjh