Jeff Bezos Advocates for Zero Federal Income Tax for Bottom 50%

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has called for the elimination of federal income taxes for the bottom 50% of earners in the United States. During a CNBC interview on May 20, 2026, Bezos argued that the majority of tax revenue already comes from high earners, with the top 1% paying 40.4% of all federal income taxes in 2022, according to BeInCrypto. He highlighted a New York City nurse earning $75,000 annually and paying over $12,000 in taxes as an example of the burden on middle-income earners. Bezos emphasized that eliminating taxes for the bottom half would cost the Treasury a small fraction of total receipts but would be significant for individual households. He also criticized Washington's spending habits, suggesting that the focus should be on spending reform rather than increasing taxes on billionaires.