On December 20, the world's richest man and Tesla founder Musk said on social media that he will pay more than $11 billion in taxes this year.
According to real-time data from Bloomberg Billionaire, Musk is still the richest person in the world, with his net worth of about $255 billion.
Musk's latest statement is not surprising. Recently, he started a war of verbalism with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren over tax payment issues.
Previously, Musk was named "People of the Year" by Time magazine, but was severely criticized by Warren.
Warren believes that Musk does not pay taxes at all. Warren said on social media: "Let's change the manipulated tax laws so that the storm of the year can really pay taxes." Warren also quoted a third party as saying that Musk paid zero federal income tax in 2018, his average effective tax rate was only 3.27%. His wealth soared by $240 billion during the epidemic, mostly tax-free.
Then, Warren was hit by Musk's strong counterattack. The latter pointed out, "If you open your eyes, you will find that I will pay more taxes this year than any American in history."
According to multiple media reports, Musk has sold nearly $13 billion worth of Tesla shares since October, and he needs to pay taxes for the shares he sells. According to reports, Musk will have to pay at least $7.6 billion in taxes in 2021, a figure that may reach up to $15 billion, depending on how many more shares he sells this year.
According to media reports, Warren has always been a staunch supporter of wealth tax and has been pushing for new tax measures, targeting billionaires like Musk. If the United States successfully passes a new tax law against billionaires, Musk may be required to pay more taxes.
Editor: Wang Yin
