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Elon Musk taunts Sanders over demand for wealthy to ‘pay their fair share’

by Sarakshi Rai - 11/14/21 3:59 PM ET

Elon Musk started a war of words with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Twitter on Sunday after the senator reiterated his stance that “the extremely wealthy” must “pay their fair share.”

Musk, currently the world’s richest man, with a net worth of $285 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, told Sanders in response, “I keep forgetting that you’re still alive.”

He later referenced his recent sale of Tesla stock, saying, “Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word.”

We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) November 13, 2021

Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word …

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021

Musk previously ripped the Democratic proposal for an annual tax on billionaires’ investment gains when lawmakers were first considering the tax as a way to fund the party’s reconciliation package.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO sold more than 930,000 shares of Tesla stock, according to financial disclosure documents published on Nov. 10, a sale worth more than $1.1 billion. The sale was initiated on Sept. 14, before the CEO surveyed Twitter users about his stock holdings.

The sizable sale was, in part, established to fulfill tax obligations that are connected to an exercise of stock options, CNBC reported.

The financial disclosure documents revealing Musk’s sale were made public just a few days after the billionaire posted a poll asking his Twitter followers if he should sell 10 percent of his stock holdings in the company.

Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock.

Do you support this?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2021

Sanders in the past clashed with billionaire Leon Cooperman, who said the idea of a “fair share” was “bullshit.”

Tags Bernie Sanders Elon Musk