Bill Maher Reveals How Much of His Income Is Taxed, Ridicules Calls to ‘Tax the Rich’
The excerpt argues that “taxing the rich” messaging in Democratic politics has been growing alongside expanded social spending goals. It cites rising and prominent Democrats as viewing wealthy Americans as able too fund enterprising programs.
It then highlights Bill Maher’s claim that he pays nearly 60% of his earnings in combined taxes (federal plus state and local), while joking that “regular rich people” end up paying a lot despite narratives that the rich avoid taxes. The text adds that California has a high combined tax burden, and it references data claiming that federal income taxes are highly progressive-most paid by the top income earners. It also mentions fraud, waste, and abuse in the system and notes the federal government’s large budget deficit despite overall tax intake.
Democratic politicians have long defended tax systems carried disproportionately by high income earners, and their younger democratic socialist wing is even more zealous for such policies.
From Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Democratic rising stars see wealthier Americans as a limitless slush fund for their utopian policies.
In other words, the sentiment of “taxing the rich” is growing, not shrinking, right alongside their social spending agendas.
But at least some on the progressive left believe they have gone too far.
Late night host Bill Maher revealed on his “Real Time” platform shortly after Tax Day that he forks over the majority of his earnings to the government.
“I paid to the government, if you add in state tax, local, sales, property, fees, Obamacare, probably almost 60 percent of what I earn. That’s a lot,” Maher said on a recent episode, per a report from Fox Business.
Warning: The following video contains explicit language that may be offensive to some viewers.
Bill Maher asks how the government is “failing the poor so badly” when he pays “60 PERCENT” of his earnings in taxes.
“Last week was tax day… I paid the government probably almost 60% of what I earn. That’s a lot.”
“And I… wouldn’t mind if Bernie Sanders would stop saying the… pic.twitter.com/OQSNVx2Zj5
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) April 25, 2026
“I still wouldn’t mind if Bernie Sanders would stop saying the rich don’t pay taxes,” he continued.
“And while I’m sure the super-rich, with their army of accountants and corporate loopholes, get away with murder, us regular rich people pay a s*** ton of taxes!” he jested.
Fox Business noted that California, where Maher lives, ranks fifth for the highest combined state and local tax burden in the country.
As of 2022, residents lose 13.5 percent of their earnings to such taxes, according to an analysis from the Tax Foundation.
The federal income tax system is also extremely progressive — relying largely on revenue from the wealthiest individuals.
Maher indeed noted that “the top 10 percent pay 72 percent of all federal income taxes, and the bottom half, 3 percent.”
He also noted widespread problems of fraud, waste, and abuse.
“How can it be that the federal government alone took in over $5 trillion in taxes last year and we still need that? Are we really this incompetent and corrupt?”
Even with such levels of taxation, the federal government is indeed running a $1.17 trillion budget deficit, meaning that spending has exceeded revenue for fiscal year 2026 by that amount, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
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