If Jeff Bezos had his way, half of Americans would pay no federal income tax.
In a May 20 television appearance, the Amazon boss noted that the top 1% of U.S. taxpayers pay roughly 40% of all federal income tax. The bottom half of taxpayers pay only 3%.
“I don’t think it should be 3%,” Bezos said. “I think it should be zero.”
The world’s fourth-wealthiest man was speaking on the CNBC program “Squawk Box.”
Bezos talked of his own upbringing: His father was a Cuban immigrant, and his mother gave birth at 17.
“And she brought herself up,” he said. “And so, I look at that, and I think, you know, I want to make sure that the people who are struggling today have a chance to do that, too. To bring themselves up.”
His comments come at a moment when some cities and states are proposing higher taxes on the rich.
California’s so-called Billionaire Tax, for example, would raise an estimated $100 billion through a one-time, 5% “wealth” tax on roughly 200 billionaires.
Some of that state’s most prominent billionaires say they would rather move than pay it.
Bezos: Tax Relief Would Help Lower-Income Americans ‘Bring Themselves Up’
Bezos said the government should help lower-income Americans “bring themselves up” by easing their income tax burden.
“We can give them a better chance by eliminating their tax bill,” Bezos said. “I don’t want to reduce it, I want to eliminate it. I think there’s something very powerful about zero.”
Bezos said he would advocate for tax relief in Washington, although he did not say exactly how.
Politically, Bezos’s policy proposal blends elements of liberal and conservative thought.
Libertarians and conservatives traditionally advocate for lower taxes across the board. President Donald Trump had made lower taxes a signature initiative in both of his terms.
Progressives and Democrats, by contrast, typically focus on tax relief for lower-income Americans, and on higher taxes for the wealthy.
Sen. Cory Booker, the New Jersey Democrat, recently introduced legislation that would deliver tax relief for the first $75,000 of income in households filing joint returns by raising the standard deduction. Tax rates on top earners would rise.
The United States has a progressive income tax system: Taxpayers pay a steadily larger share of their income in tax as their taxable income rises.
Half of Americans Already Pay 97% of the Tax
According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, the top half of taxpayers pay 97% of all federal income tax, while the bottom half pay only 3%.
Eliminating income tax for the bottom half of taxpayers would make tax policy even more progressive: The top half of taxpayers would pay 100% of the tax.
Bezos’s proposal “sounds more grandiose than it is,” said Matt Gardner, a senior fellow at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The tax code “already contains provisions that reduce taxes on middle- and low-income families,” he said.
“The real issue with the federal tax system right now is its treatment of the wealthiest Americans – people like Bezos himself,” he said.
According to ITEP research, Amazon reaped $17.4 billion in federal income tax breaks in 2025.
In his CNBC interview, Bezos said raising taxes on billionaires wouldn’t help lower-income Americans.
“You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not gonna help that teacher in Queens, I promise you,” Bezos said.
Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, responded on X: “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.”
Reporting by Daniel de Visé, USA TODAY / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect