El presidente electo de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, saluda al director ejecutivo de Tesla y propietario de X, Elon Musk, durante un mitin el día antes de la toma de posesión de Trump para un segundo mandato, en Washington, Estados Unidos, el 19 de enero de 2025.
Estados Unidos

The $5,000 check that Elon Musk could give to people who pay their taxes in the United States: requirements

The rise of Elon Musk as leader of DOGE in the United States has started to generate proposals from other political actors.

More information: Elon Musk fires 350 DOE employees for "error" in the United States; how does it affect the agency? 

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Less than a month after the start of operations of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE, for its acronym in English), led by the South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, this advisory commission would be close to granting its first major benefit to American citizens: a $5,000 check.

As part of its objectives to restructure the federal government and eliminate regulations to reduce expenses and increase government efficiency, DOGE has begun to "inspire" other political actors regarding what this external agency could provide.

Such is the case of the CEO of the investment company Azoria, James Fishback, who through his official X account, proposed recommending to Musk and the President of the United States Donald Trump, to use the money collected from these savings actions to "benefit" taxpayers who pay their taxes.

The possible check that DOGE could grant

In the proposal, Fishback mentioned that 20% of the savings obtained by DOGE could be converted into a refund check, of about $5,000 per household, for all individuals who file their tax returns.

"President Trump and Elon Musk should announce a 'DOGE Dividend,' a tax refund check sent to each taxpayer, financed exclusively with a portion of the total savings generated by DOGE,” Fishback revealed on his X account.

Following the proposal of the American entrepreneur, Musk wasted no time in reacting, through Fishback's same publication, with a simple “I will consult with the president.”

At this time, and after the exchange of responses between Elon Musk and James Fishback, no further details have been disclosed. However, logically, the first requirement to be eligible for this potential benefit would be to be a regular taxpayer who files their tax return every year.

Following this, and pending official confirmation, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), would carry out thorough monitoring to detect these individuals and provide them with the corresponding refund.

The potential action of DOGE could become a "balm" for the company after recent controversies it has been involved in. One of them was the mass layoff of more than 300 workers from the Department of Energy (DOE), who, for the most part, held important roles within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

In response to this, and after NNSA Director Teresa Robbins rejected Musk's decision, the Tesla owner became the target of criticism and accusations from various political actors for implementing his well-known "fire before investigating" policy.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence