Jeff Bezos Reclaims Spot As Richest Man In The World

Jeff Bezos is once again the richest man in the world after spending two weeks at the number two spot, according to a new report from Forbes. With a shocking net worth of $193.5 billion-dollars, Bezos has moved ahead of LVMH chief Bernard Arnault. Arnault is now listed at $192.9 billion.

The report of Bezos regaining his place as the wealthiest man in the world comes just days after a massive IRS leak published by ProPublica, in which the outlet reveals just how little the business mogul pays in taxes.

Jeff Bezos, Taxes
Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

Authors Jesse Eisinger, Jeff Ernsthausen and Paul Kiel explain that from the years 2006 to 2018, “Bezos’ wealth increased by $127 billion, according to Forbes, but he reported a total of $6.5 billion in income. The $1.4 billion he paid in personal federal taxes is a massive number — yet it amounts to a 1.1% true tax rate on the rise in his fortune.”

The amount he’s paid in taxes falls in line with other members of the United States’ richest class such as Warren Buffett who paid just 0.1% of his wealth growth in taxes from 2014 to 2018. 

Bezos, whose space company Blue Origin is expected to receive a $10 billion bailout as a part of the Endless Frontier Act, has said that he plans on traveling to space himself in July.

[Via]