Mamdani Defends Teachers In Queens
“I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ,” Mamdani wrote on X, responding to a CNBC interview in which Bezos defended his tax record and criticized politicians who blame billionaires for broader affordability problems.
Bezos said he pays “billions of dollars in taxes” and is willing to debate whether wealthy Americans should pay more. “If people want me to pay more billions, then let’s have that debate,” he added. “But don’t pretend that that’s going to solve the problem. You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not going to help that teacher in Queens. I promise you.”
Bezos Says Spending Is Real Problem
Bezos said politicians often use the “age-old technique” of choosing a villain and pointing fingers rather than fixing root causes. He argued that a nurse in Queens making $75,000 a year should not pay more than $12,000 in taxes. “How about we start by having the nurse in Queens not pay taxes?” he said.
During the interview, Bezos called billionaire vilification a distraction and said the country has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. He pointed to New York’s roughly $44,000 per-student spending, saying it exceeds that of other large cities such as Houston and Chicago.
Billionaire Tax Debate Expands Further
Image via Shutterstock
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.