Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, has a new message for Washington: stop collecting federal income taxes from the bottom half of American earners.
In a interview with CNBC, the Amazon founder said the United States should eliminate federal income taxes for lower-earning Americans, arguing that the money represents a small share of government revenue but a major burden for working families. Bezos said the top 1% of taxpayers pay about 40% of federal income tax revenue, while the bottom half pay about 3%. His conclusion was blunt: "I think it should be zero."
