Bezos Backs Tax Cuts for Workers, Defends Billionaires in Wide-Ranging CNBC Interview
Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos used an exclusive interview Wednesday to argue that low-income Americans pay too much in taxes, while pushing back hard on what he called the political “vilification” of the wealthy, CNBC reported.
Speaking with CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bezos opened with language more familiar to progressive Democrats than tech billionaires. He described the United States as “a tale of two economies,” acknowledging that millions of workers are struggling while a smaller group is thriving.
Bezos Champions Jeff Bezos Taxes Reform for Working Americans
His proposed remedy carried a populist edge. Bezos argued that eliminating income taxes entirely for the bottom half of U.S. earners would meaningfully improve lives. He pointed to a nurse earning $75,000 a year in Queens and paying more than $12,000 annually in federal taxes as an example of a burden that no longer makes sense.
That sympathy did not extend to endorsing higher rates at the top. When asked whether a cut for lower earners should be offset by raising taxes on the wealthiest, Bezos called it a fair debate but stopped well short of backing such a trade-off. He told Sorkin the United States already runs the most progressive tax structure in the world and that overspending, not insufficient revenue, is the country’s real fiscal problem.
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A History of Criticism From the Left
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other progressive critics have long accused Bezos of sheltering income by accumulating wealth in stock rather than salary. Bezos disputed that narrative directly, telling Sorkin he pays billions of dollars in taxes each year and routinely sells Amazon shares. He also denied exploiting the so-called “buy, borrow, die” strategy, in which wealthy individuals borrow against appreciated assets to avoid triggering taxable events. He said he was skeptical the tactic even constitutes a genuine loophole, but added that lawmakers should close it if it does.
Bezos Defends Ken Griffin, Praises Trump
Bezos also weighed in on a recent dispute in New York City, criticising Mayor Zohran Mamdani for standing outside Citadel CEO Ken Griffin’s home during the unveiling of a new pied-à-terre tax. He called the move unfair and said Griffin has not harmed the city.
On the White House, Bezos told Sorkin that President Donald Trump has shown more maturity and self-discipline in his second term than his first. The comments came amid ongoing scrutiny over Amazon’s decision to produce a documentary on first lady Melania Trump, which Bezos dismissed as any attempt to win political favour.
He also used the interview to champion artificial intelligence as a transformative economic force, arguing the technology holds genuine potential to address longstanding productivity challenges.
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