Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk got into a spat with Bernie Sanders on Sunday after the US senator demanded the wealthy pay their "fair share" of taxes.

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"We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period," Sanders wrote on Twitter. Taking a jibe at the 80-year-old senator, Musk responded by saying "I keep forgetting that you're still alive."

The billionaire CEO who had already offloaded a combined $6.9 billion worth of shares in the electric car company as of Nov. 12, further wrote, "Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word."

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Sanders' tweet comes amid the backdrop of Washington's efforts to hike taxes for the super-wealthy.

U.S. Senate Democrats have unveiled a proposal to tax billionaires' stocks and other tradeable assets to help finance President Joe Biden's social spending agenda and close a loophole that has allowed them to defer capital gains taxes indefinitely.

A week ago, Musk tweeted that he would sell 10% of his shares if users of the social media platform endorsed the move. About 57.9% of people voted for the stock sale.

First Published:Nov 15, 2021 7:15 AM IST