Elon Musk recently asked his Twitter followers to use a public poll to determine whether he should sell 10% of Tesla shares.
The billionaire took the step following a proposal by Senator Ron Wyden that U.S. billionaires must pay a certain percentage of their net worth to the country each year, regardless of whether they sell their shares or not.
Musk, who apparently does not support the idea, wrote on Twitter: ‘Much has made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10 percent of my Tesla stock.”
He then produced a poll asking whether they support or oppose his action. 3.5 million Twitter users took part, with a majority (58%) supporting that the billionaire sells the 10% shares.
While Musk promised to abide by the poll’s findings, Wyden didn’t seem bothered when he relentlessly wrote, “Whether or not the world’s wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldn’t depend on the results of a Twitter poll. It’s time for the Billionaires Income Tax.”