New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani fired back at billionaire Jeff Bezos after the Amazon founder claimed that even doubling his tax payments would not assist a teacher in Queens, New York. In a post on X on Wednesday, Mamdani wrote, "I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ."
Bezos Defends Tax Contributions
During a CNBC interview on Wednesday, Bezos responded to criticism from Democratic politicians who argue that billionaires like him do not pay enough in taxes. Bezos stated that he already pays "billions of dollars in taxes" and challenged the notion that increasing his tax burden would solve broader fiscal issues.
"If people want me to pay more billions, then let's have that debate," Bezos said. "But don't pretend that that's going to solve the problem. You could double the taxes I pay and it's not going to help that teacher in Queens, I promise you."
The Amazon founder accused politicians of using an "age-old technique of picking a villain" and "pointing fingers," but argued that such tactics do not address underlying issues. He emphasized the need to fix root causes rather than targeting individuals.
Bezos Highlights Tax Burden on Middle Class
Bezos pointed out that a nurse in Queens earning $75,000 annually pays over $12,000 in taxes. "Does that really make sense?" he asked. "Some people talk about making the tax system more progressive. How about we start by having the nurse in Queens not pay taxes? At all."
He described the "vilification" of billionaires as a "distraction," asserting that the country faces a spending problem, not a revenue problem. "It's a skills issue," he added.
Critique of NYC School Spending
Bezos also criticized New York City's education spending, noting that the city spends $44,000 per student, exceeding amounts in Houston and Chicago. Drawing a comparison to Amazon's efficiency, he said, "If we ran Amazon the way New York City runs their school system, your packages would take six weeks to arrive. We'd have to charge you a $100 delivery fee, and then when the package did finally arrive, it'd have the wrong item in it anyway."
Pied-à-Terre Tax Debate
Bezos further commented on a previous video posted by Mamdani, in which the mayor stood outside Citadel CEO Ken Griffin's New York City home to announce a new pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes. Bezos argued that Griffin did not deserve to be singled out. "It's a policy debate. Policy debates don't have to be finger-pointing," Bezos said, though he conceded that the pied-à-terre tax would be a "fine thing."
