Jeff Bezos Calls for Zero Federal Income Tax on Bottom Half of Earners

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said Wednesday that the bottom half of earners should pay zero federal income taxes. Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Bezos said the current system requires the bottom half of taxpayers to contribute 3 percent of federal income tax revenue. He argued that share should be zero.

Bezos said people starting out and struggling should not be taxed. He described the amount collected from lower earners as small for the government. He cited a hypothetical nurse in Queens earning $75,000 and said the government should not ask that worker to send money to Washington.

Bezos defended his own tax payments and said doubling them would not help lower-income workers. He pointed to waste in government spending as a separate issue.

U.S. tax code more than 10,000 pages long and said it contains corporate loopholes. He described the system as crony capitalism that should be fixed. He said he has worked with every president since Bill Clinton and would advocate for the change.

Bezos described the current situation as a tale of two economies, with some Americans doing well and others struggling. He said eliminating income tax for lower earners would give them a better chance to advance. In 2023, the bottom half of taxpayers had an average adjusted gross income of nearly $54,000 and paid an average of $913 in federal income taxes, according to a Tax Foundation analysis of IRS data.