Bill Maher asks if the US government is 'incompetent and corrupt' despite $5T in revenue
Comedian Bill Maher criticized democratic socialists like Sen. Bernie Sanders, who says the rich don't 'pay their fair share' in taxes.
Even with liberal HBO host Bill Maher, the math behind Tax Day doesn't add up.
Maher spoke on his “Real Time” platform to raise the alarm about the personal tax burden that he claims demands a bigger share of his income, sparking a debate about whether the US government is “incompetent and corrupt” despite receiving $5 billion in revenue.
“Last week was Tax Day… I paid the government, if you add state, local, sales, property, fees, Obamacare, it's about 60% of my income. That's a lot,” Maher said in a recent episode.
“I still don't mind if Bernie Sanders stops saying that the rich don't pay taxes,” the host continued. “And while I'm sure the super-rich, with their army of accountants and corporate loopholes, get away with murder, we ordinary rich people pay a s— a ton of taxes!”
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High earners in greener states like California, where Maher filmed his show, face the highest combined tax rates in the country. While Democrats often argue that the biggest tax comes from the federal income tax alone, Maher criticized the “hidden” costs that take up more than half of your income.
Bill Maher attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026. (Getty Images)
California ranks fifth nationally for the highest state and local tax burden, with the Tax Foundation reporting that residents lose an average of 13.5% of their gross income to taxes.
“The top 10% pay 72% of all federal income tax, while the bottom half pays 3%,” Maher noted, and his calculated numbers back it up. Tax Foundation analysis of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data for 2022.
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“The Socialists in the Democratic Alliance talk about socialism as if we don't have much … Not against it, the same question – how can you sink the rich and fail the poor so badly?” he said.
The HBO host also asked where the money really goes, pointing to the reliance on charities such as Remote Area Medical (RAM) to provide basic care, such as dental and medical care, that the government – despite billions in revenue – fails to deliver.
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“How is it possible that the federal government alone took over $5 trillion in taxes last year and we still need that? Are we really so ignorant and corrupt?”
“The rich continue to get richer,” Maher said. “[Those with] their army of narrators and corporate loopholes [can often find ways to shrink their tax bills].”
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