{
  "id": 2801361,
  "title": "Taxing all 938 billionaires at 100% wouldn’t stop the $40 trillion national debt, says Elon Musk. Bernie Sanders says tax them 5% and send you a check",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/taxing-all-938-billionaires-at-100-wouldnt-stop-the-40-trillion",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-23T13:23:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/article/elon-musk-bernie-sanders-billionaire-tax-sovereign-wealth/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Taxing all 938 billionaires at 100% wouldn't alleviate the $40 trillion national debt, according to Elon Musk. In contrast, Bernie Sanders proposes a 5% wealth tax on billionaires, which he says would provide nearly every American with a check. With a net worth of $8.2 trillion, the 938 billionaires in the U.S. could theoretically cover a fifth of the national debt, but Sanders aims to generate $4.4 trillion in revenue over a decade, which would fund a $3,000 check for lower- and middle-income households and invest in social services.",
  "summary": "Elon Musk argues America’s $40 trillion debt is too big for billionaire taxes to fix, but Bernie Sanders says a 5% tax could at least put $3,000 back in your pocket.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}