"Bezos is a symbol of foolish tax laws"... US wealthy protest for 'wealth tax' increase

Protest in Front of Bezos' Residence... Chuck Schumer Also at Donald Trump’s Office and Hotel

Photo by CNBC

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] "Impose more taxes on the rich"

On the 17th (local time), the U.S. wealthy group held protests in front of the homes and offices of prominent figures in politics and business, including Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and the world's richest person, calling for a "wealth tax increase," CNBC, a U.S. economic media outlet, reported.

According to the report, the progressive group called "Patriotic Millionaires" conducted protests across New York and Washington DC on the tax filing deadline day, using mobile billboards.

Maurice Peir, a former BlackRock executive and the group's president, said, "We will continue protests demanding tax increases on the wealthy during the tax filing period."

The group consists of members with an annual income of over $1 million (approximately 1.1 billion KRW) or assets exceeding $5 million, and supports the ultra-wealthy tax bill promoted by Senator Elizabeth Warren. The bill proposes an annual 2% tax on households with a net worth over $50 million and a total 3% tax on those holding assets exceeding $1 billion.

They displayed a billboard in front of Bezos’ luxury apartment in New York City that read, "Stop the nonsense and tax the rich," and continued protests in front of his mansion in Washington DC.

The protest came amid President Joe Biden’s push to raise taxes on high-income earners to fund infrastructure legislation, coinciding with media reports that Bezos is building a $500 million luxury yacht.

Erica Payne, the founder of the group, stated, "Bezos symbolizes the foolish tax laws of this country," arguing that considering his wealth, he should pay more taxes. According to Forbes, Bezos’ net worth reaches $185 billion.

In 2019, Bezos reportedly spent $80 million to purchase three luxury apartments at once in a New York building, and the following year bought an additional apartment in the same building for $16 million, according to the New York Post. He also owns a $23 million mansion built on the site of the former Textile Museum in Washington DC.

Amazon’s spokesperson did not respond to requests for comments regarding the protest but stated that Bezos supports raising corporate taxes.

Besides Bezos, protests were held at the Washington DC residence of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the New York City office of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, the Washington headquarters of economic organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, and the Washington hotel of former President Donald Trump.

They also displayed signs parodying a movie title with the phrase "Tax Me If You Can," featuring a photo of Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, all laughing together.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.