this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
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A Google founder has more than doubled his financial contribution to the fight against a proposed wealth tax in California. New filings with the state show that former Alphabet president Sergey Brin donated $25m to a Super Pac dedicated to blocking the tax on top of $20m he had already given.

Brin is not alone among Google’s top brass in upping his financial stake in the campaign against the ballot proposal. The company’s former CEO Eric Schmidt donated $1.02m, adding to a previous $2m contribution.

The tech titans are battling the California Billionaire Tax act, often referred to simply as the billionaire tax. It’s a proposed ballot measure that would require any California resident worth more than $1bn to pay a one-off, 5% tax on their assets to help cover education, food assistance and healthcare programs in the state. It’s sponsored by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, and is still in the signature-gathering phase.

If the measure reaches the ballot and gains voters’ approval, the tax would apply to billionaires based on their residency as of 1 January 2026. For Brin, worth about $247bn, the bill would likely be upwards of $12bn. That stipulation appears to have caused him and several other billionaires to leave California at the end of last year. Brin relocated to a $42m estate on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada, and his Pac donations show Reno as his address. Schmidt’s filings show his address as West Hollywood.

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[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 30 points 3 days ago (1 children)

A jackass with more money than they can enjoy in life, spending it on making the lives of others more miserable. Classy.

[–] Beero@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Wexner straight up said he's Epstein's boy...fuckin get some rope and find a free for this baby eater.

[–] Boppel@feddit.org 144 points 3 days ago (7 children)

there are no good billionaire. the whole concept of billionaire is utterly antisocial

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 51 points 3 days ago

It's also anti democratic. Giving a few people that much power, is 100% against democratic principles.
It is however perfectly in line with an oligarchy dictatorship.

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[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 36 points 3 days ago (1 children)

smells like somebody doesn't want to pay his fair share

[–] Insekticus@aussie.zone 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

And his fair share must be more than $45M or he'd just pay the fucking tax...

[–] Hasherm0n@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

His spending 45 million is the equivalent of someone with a net worth of 500,000 spending 75 dollars. It's nothing to him.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 92 points 3 days ago (4 children)

This tax is stupid IMO, it shouldn't be one time, but 1% every year.
I'll take the 5% though, better than nothing.

[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 61 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Once upon a time this guy would have paid 94% in federal taxes. The math would have literally worked against him ... he could pay workers more and give them benefits to lose his money or just lost the money in taxes.
This style tax scale is what got one guy elected FOUR TIMES as President of the US.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Yup, the first so much of his earnings would have been lower rates, after the amount surpasses thresholds, the rate increases on that part, reaching 90 some percent on obscene amounts.

They don't take wages now though, they get like stock options, then borrow against their stock holdings, borrowing more to pay off the old, never realizing a gain to pay taxes. As per Propublica's reporting.

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[–] thatsnothowyoudoit@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I have heard a few people talk sanely about the tax and the more I hear the more ridiculous this one time “fee” sounds.

I heard a far better proposal about closing the tax loopholes they use. Wealthy folks are borrowing tax free against unrealized capital gains. They pay little to no tax on it.

It’s not sexy but it’s a way better solution because not only does it tax the people who need to be taxed, it also begins to help people push back against capital being more powerful than labour.

It’s also far less costly to implement. You borrow against unrealized capital gains to live as if it were income - boom income tax.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Better once than not at all. It doesn't preclude better solutions in the future.

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[–] Jaegeras@piefed.social 10 points 3 days ago

That's probably the only real valid reason to go against it.

Not because it is unfair. But because there's no teeth to it by making it non-recurring.

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[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 73 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Dude is worth a quarter of a trillion

He can afford to spend 12.5bn on stopping this before he's losing money

Frankly I'd be campaigning on this if I was an advocating politician of the bill. "He is willing to burn this money rather than pay a fair share into public finances to benefit everyone"

[–] Ava@piefed.blahaj.zone 67 points 3 days ago (7 children)

"The $45m he spent to fight this would've allowed us to renovate this school. The $12b he'd owe would let us renovate 100 schools. Or get X thousand of the homeless off the streets. Or fixed 10 million potholes."

Make his name responsible for those things not happening.

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[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago (8 children)

Pay $45m. Trying to not be taxed....

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

45 milly to not pay 12 billy seems reasonable.

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[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago

The fact that he can afford to do that is the best possible case in favor of that tax.

[–] thethrilloftime69@feddit.online 42 points 3 days ago (2 children)

They'd rather pay to manipulate the tax code than pay taxes.

[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

If they could pay an accountant $50k to avoid $20k in taxes that's a win for them

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[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 37 points 3 days ago

The fact that he's both willing and able to do this, is the one single biggest argument in favour of abolishing billionaires.

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 35 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Citizens United ruined America.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)
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[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Most billionaires are so anti-tax they would spend their entire fortune to keep from paying taxes.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Because it's not about the money as much as it is the principle of having to follow the same rules as everyone else.

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[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] oascany@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Also want to point out that Anne Wojcicki is founder of 23andMe.

[–] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago
[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Imagine being so rich that, not only could you drop $45M without even thinking about it, and not only could you just move to a new $42M house without thinking about it, but you would still be worth $235 BILLION after losing 12 billion dollars... and being angry!

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[–] Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago
[–] Elroc@lemmus.org 23 points 3 days ago (7 children)
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[–] Routhinator@startrek.website 5 points 2 days ago

All these donations prove they can afford to fucking pay more tax and should shut the fuck up.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 3 days ago (2 children)

A retroactive tax is pretty bullshit.

It being a one time tax with a "if you lived here 1-1-26" is also idiotic. The billionaires wouldn't even pay. It'd just be tied up in courts for like the next 20 years.

Not beginning until you hit a billion dollars is also stupid.

It needs to start at a much lower net worth, be every fucking year, not be retroactive to a single date on the calendar that happened before the vote (cause that really is bullshit to do), and be on some sort of increasing percentage instead of just a flat 5.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 days ago

Retroactive taxes for the ultra rich make perfect sense. They took advantage of loopholes, they knew it, and if they are held accountable later, that's called justice.

The idea that fucking over society is OK of you do so mostly legally is morally repulsive. We have no obligation to respect shitty gamesmanship.

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[–] the_armchair_potato@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Billionaires should not be allowed to exist, period!!

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[–] nonentity@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 days ago

Financial obesity is an existential threat to any society that tolerates it, and needs to cease being celebrated, rewarded, and positioned as an aspirational goal.

Corporations are the only ‘persons’ which should be subjected to capital punishment, but billionaires should be euthanised through taxation.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Clearly has the money. If he doesn't like it maybe he should move to texas like the other greedy chuds who hate the state they live in.

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[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 5 points 2 days ago

they should live in texas or florida then.

[–] omarfw@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

These people own the government. You can't beat them with politics. They're not going to be brought to heel until they are made to be actively afraid of the working class.

[–] FukOui@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 days ago

Sad thing is that 45M is probably just chump change to him

[–] GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

"Don't be evil"

Hmm, I wonder if too much money ruins people's brains, just like doing too much drugs? Or if they are born cunts and liars and then when they become billionaires they stop hiding that.

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