New York City Mayor pushed back on Wednesday against after the Amazon founder and executive chairman questioned whether raising taxes on billionaires would do anything to help working-class New Yorkers.
“You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not gonna help that teacher in Queens. I promise you,” Bezos said in an interview on CNBC earlier Wednesday.
Mamdani responded on X: “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.”
Bezos, meanwhile, pushed for tax cuts for low-income Americans.
He called for eliminating federal income taxes on the bottom half of earners, telling CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin on Squawk Box that the top 1% of taxpayers pay about 40% of all tax revenue, while the bottom half pay 3%.
“I don’t think it should be 3%,” Bezos said. “I think it should be zero.”
also said that increasing taxes on billionaires would not materially improve the lives of working-class residents, arguing instead that lower-income Americans should keep more of their earnings.
The comments come at a time when debates over wealth taxes and public spending continue to intensify in the , particularly in New York City, where some leaders have increasingly pushed for higher taxes on wealthy individuals and luxury assets.
Earlier this week, Bezos had publicly backed Mamdani’s proposed “pied-à-terre” tax on luxury second homes worth more than $5 million. The proposal is aimed at taxing wealthy homeowners who maintain expensive secondary residences in New York City.
Mamdani’s luxury second-home tax proposal wins Bezos backing
Earlier, Bezos had supported the proposal while criticizing Mamdani for singling out billionaire hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin during discussions surrounding the tax.
During the CNBC interview, Bezos also defended wealthy taxpayers, arguing that the top earners already contribute a substantial share of total federal tax revenues in the United States.
The exchange between Bezos and Mamdani quickly gained traction online, with supporters on both sides debating whether taxing billionaires more aggressively would help address affordability concerns faced by middle and lower-income Americans.
Bezos has increasingly spoken publicly about taxation and economic policy in recent months, especially as discussions about wealth inequality continue to dominate political conversations in the US. Mamdani, meanwhile, has remained a prominent advocate for progressive tax reforms to fund public programmes and affordability measures.
The latest remarks add to a growing public debate involving billionaires, policymakers and political leaders over how governments should balance taxation, public spending and economic inequality.
