Elon Musk set to sell 10% of Tesla shares after Twitter vote

Tesla boss Elon Musk has criticized the American Democrats' willingness to tax the sale of shares in large companies.

Here, during a visit to the construction site of a giant Tesla factory near Berlin, August 13, 2021. © Patrick Pleul, Reuters

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Elon Musk is talking about him again on social networks.

The eccentric boss of Tesla launched between Saturday 6 and Sunday 8 November a survey asking his 63 million subscribers whether or not he should sell 10% of his shares in the company he heads.

A transaction on which he should pay taxes, while elected Democrats debate a heavier taxation of shares held by billionaires.

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With our correspondent in New York

,

Loubna Anaki

Elon Musk asked the question, " 

Do you want me to sell 10% of my shares in Tesla

?"

 ".

And the result of the poll fell on Sunday evening: the " 

yes

 " won by nearly 60%.

The

boss of Tesla

had promised that he would respect the final decision, without specifying what he would do next or when exactly.

Behind this initiative, Elon Musk is in fact targeting a new proposal from elected Democrats who would like to tax billionaires more heavily by taxing their actions.

Because in principle, shares are not taxable until they are sold.

A measure criticized by Elon Musk.

The boss of Tesla does not receive any salary from his company, but owns 17% of the shares.

A share estimated at 208 billion dollars.

If he really sells 10%, that would be the equivalent of $ 21 billion.

According to a ProPublica survey, last June,

Elon Musk paid no taxes in 2018

and only $ 65,000 in 2017. This while his fortune is now estimated at $ 338 billion, making him the man. the richest on the planet.

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