Bezos Says Higher Taxes on Him Would Not Help Teachers

Jeff Bezos said in an interview that he could pay more in taxes but that the increase would not help a hypothetical teacher in Queens. Bezos pointed out that the bottom half of income earners pay only 3 percent of total taxes. He added that a nurse earning $75,000 a year pays more than $1,000 a month in taxes.

Mamdani said he already pays billions of dollars in taxes and that any further increase should be openly debated. He rejected the idea that higher taxes on the wealthy would fail to address broader problems. Bezos argued that creating a villain out of billionaires does not solve underlying issues and that skill is what solves problems.