Google Billionaire Sergey Brin Pours $102 Million Into Blocking Tax on California’s Ultra-Rich
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Sergey Brin, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, has funneled over $100 million into a campaign to shield billionaires from a modest tax that would fund healthcare and education for ordinary Californians.
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google and a member of the billionaire elite, has contributed a staggering $102 million to Building a Better California, a political action committee dedicated to protecting the interests of the ultra-wealthy by opposing Proposition 40. This measure would impose a one-time 5% tax on California’s 200 billionaires, finally asking those who have benefited most from society to pay their fair share. Brin’s contribution makes him the largest single donor to the anti-tax campaign, which has amassed over $187 million from the billionaire class, while grassroots supporters of the measure have managed to raise just $32 million.
Proposition 40, which will appear on the November ballot, would allocate 90% of the tax revenue to bolster the state’s healthcare system and the remaining 10% to education, food assistance, and administrative costs—critical services that benefit millions. With a net worth approaching $260 billion, Brin stands to pay about $13 billion if the measure passes, a small fraction of his immense fortune.
Other tech moguls, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, have also thrown their weight behind efforts to defeat the tax, demonstrating the billionaire class’s determination to avoid contributing to the public good. Governor Gavin Newsom, echoing corporate talking points, has warned that the levy could reduce the state’s tax base and threaten funding for education, public safety, and social services, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Brin, who now claims Nevada residency to further dodge California taxes, has reportedly purchased a $51 million mansion near Miami Beach. Analysts point out that even if the six billionaires identified as potentially relocating were to leave, the state would still gain about $27 billion in tax revenue, while their annual income-tax contributions in California are a mere $4.1 billion—just 0.2% of their collective $2 trillion net worth. A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper finds that even a mass billionaire exodus would take decades to offset the projected $100 billion in revenue from the tax over five years. The billionaire class’s desperate attempts to avoid paying their fair share reveal their disregard for the needs of everyday Californians.