‘I keep forgetting you’re still alive’ — Elon Musk slams Bernie Sanders over tax demand

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla Inc., has slammed Bernie Sanders, senator and former US presidential candidate, for demanding that the “extremely wealthy” pay taxes that are fair and proportional to their wealth.

In a Twitter post on Saturday, Sanders said: “We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period.”

Taking a shot at the 80-year-old senator, Musk responded by saying: “I keep forgetting that you’re still alive.”

I keep forgetting that you’re still alive

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021

The world’s richest person, who had already off-loaded a combined $6.9 billion worth of shares, further raised the notion of selling more of his Tesla Inc. shares to meet his tax bills — about $15 billion, according to CNBC.

“Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word,” Musk added.

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

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021

Sanders’ tweet comes amid the backdrop of the US government’s efforts to hike taxes for ultra-rich citizens.

U.S. senate democrats have unveiled a proposal to tax billionaires’ stocks and other tradable assets to help finance President Joe Biden’s social spending agenda.

The goal, according to the US government, is to fill a loophole that allowed billionaires to defer capital gains taxes indefinitely.

Before now, Musk and other billionaires had been accused of paying little or no federal income taxes.

In 2018, a report by ProPublica said the Tesla CEO paid zero federal income taxes.

A week ago, Musk tweeted that he would sell 10 percent of his shares if Twitter users endorsed the move. More than 57 percent of people on the social media channel voted for the stock sale.

Musk had said he does not take a cash salary or bonus, so “the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock.”

In compliance with the poll, he sold $5 billion worth of Tesla’s shares by Wednesday last week and then over $1 billion on Friday.