Amazon founder Jeff Bezos endorsed New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposed “Commission on Government Efficiency” (COGE) in a post on X, saying government savings could help “zero out taxes on the bottom half of earners.”
Responding to Mamdani’s call for a city government that works “smarter, faster, and more effectively,” Bezos argued that “the best way to put money in people’s pockets is not to take it out in the first place.”
Last week, Bezos had mentioned in an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box that the bottom half of earners should pay zero in income taxes. The top 1% of taxpayers pay about 40% of all the tax revenue, and the bottom half pay 3%, he said, adding “I don’t think it should be 3%, […] I think it should be zero.”
READ: Mamdani’s tax return reveals income, political strategy (April 25, 2026)
He added that the income tax paid by lower earners is “a small amount of money for the government.”
“We shouldn’t be asking this nurse in Queens to send money to Washington,” he said. “They should be sending her an apology. It really makes no sense.”
Bezos, who is the world’s fourth richest person, said he would “advocate” for such a change, but did not offer details on how lawmakers might enact it.
READ: Billionaire real estate executive likens ‘tax the rich’ to ‘disgusting’ racial slurs (May 7, 2026)
However, Bezos has been much less supportive of Mamdani’s other policies. Mamdani has been long advocating for higher taxes for the rich in order to address NYC’s affordability crisis. Mamdani and NY Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, are backing a proposed pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes worth $5 million or more, after the mayor dropped a broader proposal to raise property taxes on many homeowners.
Bezos opposes raising taxes for the ultra-wealthy — a group he is part of as the world’s fourth richest person. In the CNBC interview, Bezos accused politicians of villainizing the ultra-wealthy and using tax policy as a political wedge issue to distract from bigger challenges facing the country. “You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not going to help that teacher in Queens,” Bezos said.
Mamdani responded to this, saying “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.” This comes amid growing debate over wealth inequality and competing policy proposals aimed at addressing the widening gap between high- and low-income earners.