How do you know someone has too much money? When they can legitimately threaten a city to remove an historic bridge so their mega-yacht can reach the sea.
Jeff Bezos's new yacht is so large that the Dutch city of Rotterdam was considering partially dismantling an historic bridge and national monument to accommodate it.
Normally, "if your ship doesn't fit under a bridge, you make [the ship] smaller," said Rotterdam organizer Pablo Strörmann. "But when you happen to be the richest person on Earth, you just ask a municipality to dismantle a monument. That's ridiculous."1
With a net worth of $183.5 billion, Jeff Bezos' economic power is absurd, yet he routinely pays zero in US income taxes.2 Meanwhile, our communities still lack adequate funding for education, healthcare, childcare, climate resiliency, and more. The surplus wealth that allows Bezos to think he can trample over entire municipalities abroad must be placed in service of the public good instead. Congress needs to pass a wealth tax on the ultra-wealthy!
Sign the petition: the US needs a billionaires tax!
Congress has been weighing including a billionaires tax for months now, and it's clear that the tax can pass. Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have both signaled support for the policy during the drawn out Build Back Better negotiations.3 President Biden called for it in his State of the Union address. Now we just need to signal to Congress that this is a critical priority for the American people.
A billionaires tax would have huge implications for the progressive agenda, funneling hundreds of millions of dollars annually towards working families and communities.4 It's a crucial tool to rein in the American oligarchy, and support healthcare, housing, the Child Tax Credit, and other government initiatives to counter the runaway corporate power that enriched Bezos in the first place!
It's the ideal time to add a tax on Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and the rest of the billionaires. Congress needs to hear from you now!
Sign the petition: Demand Congress pass a wealth tax!
Sources:
1. NPR, "The Dutch vow to egg Jeff Bezos' yacht if a bridge is dismantled to let his boat pass," February 9, 2022.
2. Business Insider, "How Billionaires Like Jeff Bezos Avoid Paying Federal Income Tax,” June 13, 2021.
3. Washington Post, "Manchin told White House he would support version of tax," December 24, 2021.
4. Senate Committee on Finance, "Wyden Unveils Billionaires Income Tax," October 27, 2021.