Bezos Weighs In On Biden's Corporate Tax Raise Proposal

SEATTLE, WA — Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has weighed in on a proposal from the Biden Administration to raise the corporate tax rate in support of a massive infrastructure overhaul.

Perhaps surprisingly, he says Amazon is in favor of it, though he says any tax raise will require "concessions from all sides."

Bezos' statement, issued Tuesday, reads in part:

"We support the Biden Administration's focus on making bold investments in American infrastructure. Both Democrats and Republicans have supported infrastructure in the past, and it's the right time to work together to make this happen. We recognize this investment will require concessions from all sides—both on the specifics of what's included as well as how it gets paid for (we're supportive of a rise in the corporate tax rate)."

The statement comes in response to a $2 trillion infrastructure proposal released by the Biden Administration last week. The proposal would bring hundreds of billions to the nation's manufacturing industries, building energy efficient housing, and rebuilding the country's water infrastructure, among other programs. It would be funded largely by increasing the corporate income tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent.

The corporate tax rate had been as high as 35 percent, but was slashed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans in 2017.

Bezos' announcement is significant because the company has long faced criticism for successfully avoiding paying taxes. In fact, though the corporate income tax rate was 21 percent last year, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says Amazon paid just 9.4 percent, avoiding $2.3 billion dollars in taxes while raking in a record-breaking $20 billion in profit.

Bezos himself saw his wealth grow significantly as well, growing from an estimated net worth of $113 billion in 2020 to $177 billion in 2021, according to Forbes.

Bezos' announcement also comes at a time when Amazon is facing significant scrutiny for other issues as well.

Just last week, Amazon's Twitter account, Amazon News, the same account which first posted Bezos' statement, drew national headlines for its snarky response to Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan. Pocan had raised the allegations that Amazon delivery drivers were so overworked, they were forced to "urinate in water bottles" on the job.

Amazon's Twitter responded: "You don't really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us."

The tweet was met with a large backlash — including a report in The Intercept that found that not only do Amazon employees urinate on the job, but company higher-ups are aware of the issue and addressed it in internal documents multiple times. Amazon has since apologized for the tweet, and acknowledged the problem.

The company is also struggling with unionization. CNN reports the company is "on edge" as employees in Bessemer, Alabama attempt to unionize their Amazon warehouse. If successful, it would be the company's first union ever. The unionization attempt has been publicly supported by high-profile progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has routinely criticized Amazon's attempts to shut down the union effort.

The union votes are currently being tallied, though it could be some time before a result is announced, CNBC reported.