Elon Musk launches a Twitter poll to ask if he should sell 10%  of his Tesla stock to pay billion in taxes; pledges to abide by the results of the poll

Late last month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen proposed a tax on unrealized capital gains of billionaires. Responding to criticism that he’s avoided paying his fair share of taxes, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter on Saturday to ask over 62 million of his Twitter followers to determine the future of a chunk of his Tesla holdings.

This evening, Elon Musk asked people if he should sell 10% of his stock in the electric-car maker in order to pay taxes.

“Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock,” Musk tweeted, “Do you support this?” Musk, one of the world’s richest people, included a Yes or No poll in the tweet, saying, “I will abide by the results of this poll, whichever way it goes.”

Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock.

Do you support this?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2021

In another tweet, Musk pledged to abide by the results of the poll. Musk also reminds his fans that he currently does not “take a cash salary or bonus from anywhere. I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock.”

Note, I do not take a cash salary or bonus from anywhere. I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2021

“I will abide by the results of this poll, whichever way it goes,” Musk, one of the world’s richest people, added. It wasn’t immediately clear what that proposed sale would amount to or what the tax rate would be.

As of last December, Musk owned about 22.4% of the company’s shares outstanding, according to The Wall Street Journal.