The ‘DOGE’ department proposed by Elon Musk could allow the Tesla CEO to divest many of his assets and defer paying taxes.
Tesla CEO and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, could get a deferment on potentially billions of dollars worth of federal taxes if he begins working for the United States government under President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump announced on Nov. 12 that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — a Republican rival-turned-ally — would be heading the ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ or DOGE, once he took the oath of office on Jan. 20. The president-elect claimed that Musk — worth roughly $300 billion — and Ramaswamy would help “cut wasteful expenditures” in the federal budget.
Despite the name, only an act of Congress can establish a new government department, suggesting that DOGE may operate as more of an advisory commission. However, Republicans will hold a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives starting in 2025, meaning they could seemingly pass legislation creating a new department if desired.
