The “socialistic” mayor of New York takes down a deadbeat $2 trillion company and its billionaire owner — Amazon

The reality is this: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani

Mayor is a very popular leader of New York City.

And this is reality: Jeff Bezos has an approval rating of 19 percent.

So, when the mayor says that he is going to issue a “tax-the-rich program for billionaires, guess who the American people — and those in NYC — favor?

To prove who is stronger in the city, Mayor Mamdani sent the Amazon owner a bill for 9 million dollars, along with this message,

Amazon is worth $2 trillion. But it didn’t deign to pay the millions of dollars it racked up in unpaid fines as its’ trucks illegally polluted our air and forced New Yorkers to breathe in their exhaust.

We collected very dollar they owe the people of this city — and will continue to hold them accountable. In New York, corporations are held to the same standard as everyone else.

No company — no matter how large or powerful — is above the law.

New York City website, 2026

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani went after the owner publicly telling him that he will attack derelict corporations like Amazon. Here is the AI summary of the events,

[His] administration recovered over $9 million in unpaid idling fines from the company. This action followed a fiery public clash with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who criticized the mayor's "tax-the-rich" agenda, including a proposed luxury second-home tax.

The Fines: Mayor Mamdani’s administration announced the recovery of over \(\$9\) million in unpaid delivery-truck idling fines from Amazon, a move aimed at enforcing environmental regulations and holding corporations accountable.

The Feud: Jeff Bezos criticized the city's "tax-the-rich" agenda on CNBC's Squawk Box, warning that policies targeting billionaires like a new luxury home tax will deter investment and harm the working class.

The Rebuttal: Mayor Mamdani publicly fired back at Bezos, defending his administration's social programs—such as city-subsidized grocery stores to combat food insecurity—and stating that taxing wealthy residents is necessary to fund public education and essential city services.

Apoory Rastogi, “NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani blames Jeff Bezos’

recent taxes comments,” May 21, 2026

Bezos avoided taxes, pays much less percentage than middle class

According to a recent article from ProPublica, which I will analyze later, Bezos paid no taxes earlier in his life and a small percentage despite being the wealthiest person in the country,

Based on ProPublica's landmark investigation into secret IRS files, Jeff Bezos paid a "true tax rate" of just 0.98% between 2014 and 2018. While his wealth grew by an estimated ($99) billion, he only reported ($4.22) billion in actual income, resulting in federal income tax payments totaling ($973) million.

ProPublica's breakdown of Bezos's tax data during that 5-year span highlights several core findings:

• Wealth Growth vs. Income: Bezos's wealth primarily grew through unrealized gains in Amazon stock, which are not taxed under U.S. law until the shares are actually sold.

• Zero Tax Years: Bezos used legal tax strategies to offset his income and reported \(\$0\) in federal income taxes in multiple earlier years, including 2007 and 2011.

ProPublica, May 2026

The cheating tax-avoider

The average middle class wage earner pays between 13 and 15 percent, not zero or .98 percent.

I cannot wait for the mayor to continue these attacks against the deadbeat billionaire.