Fact Check

Does Sanders Want to Tax Social Security Benefits at 47 Percent?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published Feb. 29, 2020

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Claim:
Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders said he wants to tax Social Security benefits at 47 percent.

On February 29, 2020, the bustatroll.org website published an article positing that Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders had said he wanted to tax Social Security benefits at a rate of 47 percent:

In a closed door meeting about the ongoing plan to eliminate Social Security, Bernie Sanders told Democrat socialist communists Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar that when he becomes president he wants to tax Social Security Benefits at 47%. Currently, Social Security benefits are tax-free, as seniors have paid into they system their whole lives and thus have already paid their fair share.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows: "Everything on this website is fiction. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical."

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Article 5 of 6 in Collection