Jeff Bezos Says Bottom Half of Earners Should Pay No Federal Income Tax

Jeff Bezos said Wednesday morning on CNBC that Americans earning in the bottom half of incomes should not pay federal income tax. ” Bezos said. “That’s $1,000 that could help with rent, or groceries, or anything… To me, it’s kind of absurd that we’re doing this.

We shouldn’t be asking this nurse in Queens to send money to Washington. ” Bezos noted that the bottom half of earners pay 3 percent of total federal taxes while the top 1 percent pay 40 percent. He said doubling his own taxes would not help lower-income workers.

Bezos said the United States already has the most progressive tax system in the world. He argued the country has a spending problem rather than a revenue problem. Bezos also said that if people want him to pay more in taxes, the debate should focus on whether additional revenue would reach intended recipients rather than administrative costs.

5 billion in income. 4 billion in taxes during that period, representing an effective rate of about 1 percent.