--- title: "Elon Musk Says He Wants to Use Wealth to Get Humans to Mars, Not Pay Taxes" description: "Billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, has other goals in mind for his tremendous wealth: making humanity interplanetary." date: "2021-10-28" modified: "2021-10-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-wealth-mars-not-taxes" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Mars" - "Space" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "billionaires" - "elon musk" - "interplanetary" - "taxation" --- # Elon Musk Says He Wants to Use Wealth to Get Humans to Mars, Not Pay Taxes ![Billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, has other goals in mind for his tremendous wealth: making humanity interplanetary.]() *\Image: Getty/Futurism\* It didn't come as a shock when Tesla CEO Elon Musk [criticized a plan to tax billionaires]() earlier this week over a plan to tax billionaires. The billionaire — who also happens to be the [richest person]() in the world — has other goals in mind for his tremendous wealth: making humanity interplanetary. "My plan is to use the money to get humanity to Mars and preserve the light of consciousness," [he tweeted]() today. Thanks to Tesla [closing a massive deal]() with rental car company Hertz this week, Musk's personal net worth is [closing in on $300 billion]() — which, just to be clear, is an absolutely obscene amount of money, despite the majority being tied up in shares. Musk also resorted to a common conservative talking point: that the ultra-wealthy can only pay so much. "US national debt is \~$28,900 billion or \~$229k per taxpayer," Musk argued in [a tweet]() on Wednesday. "Even taxing all 'billionaires' at 100 percent would only make a small dent in that number, so obviously the rest must come from the general public. This is basic math." Ironically, Musk has often relied on government spending to grow his businesses, including a $465 million loan from the US Energy Department in 2010, as [*Fortune* points out](). And NASA's Human Landing System contract to develop a lunar lander also netted SpaceX a [$2.9 billion contract](), paid out over a number of years. Musk may have the last laugh — but not because of his tweets. The billionaire taxation plan is [facing criticism]() from within the Democratic party, putting it on shaky ground. The SpaceX CEO has long been of the opinion that the best thing humanity can accomplish is to establish bases on other planets, [especially Mars](). But has Musk forgotten about Earth? His tremendous wealth could have a tremendously positive impact back on our home planet. Musk's net worth increased by over [$36 billion]() this week. Just $6 billion of that could help "42 million people that are literally going to die if we don't reach them," the UN's World Food Program chief David Beasley [told *CNN*](). "It's not complicated." **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk to Congress: Drop the billionaire tax. It will only mess with ‘my plan to get humanity to Mars’]() \[*Fortune*\] **More on Elon Musk:** *[Elon Musk Mocks Dogecoin Crypto Scams]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()