(Image source: Red Dog Report)

BY TRACY PFEIFFER

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

You're watching multisource business news analysis from Newsy.

One of the world’s wealthiest people -- is causing a stir -- for asking the government to raise his taxes.

Billionaire Warren Buffett took to The New York Times with a message to Congress: “Stop coddling the super rich.”

“I know well many of the mega-rich and, by and large, they are very decent people. They love America and appreciate the opportunity this country has given them. ...Most wouldn’t mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering.”

The business mogul goes on to say -- when tax rates were higher in previous decades -- investment didn’t suffer -- and neither did job creation. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Buffett also lays out the numbers and concludes -- he and his quote- “rich friends” pay less taxes -- by percentage -- than the average American.

A blogger for The Washington Post writes -- it’s about time a voice in the upper-class went down this road.

“...he’s doing something rare in this country—taking the lead on giving up something of his own in order to help the greater good. Far more often, we see leaders in this country doing the opposite: protecting their own interests, their own careers or their own fortunes...”

But others -- say if Buffett feels so strongly the government should take his money -- why not just cough it up? Here’s conservative commentator Pat Buchanan on MSNBC.

PAT BUCHANAN: “I’m a little fed up with these people who come on, you know, their big op-eds, all these admonitions. Why doesn’t he set an example and send a check for $5 billion to the federal government? …You get all this noise from these big rich folks. Let them send checks and set an example instead of writing op-eds.”

And a writer for conservative website Rhymes With Right even looked up the address for Buffett, echoing Buchanan’s message: Put your money, where your mouth is.

Part of Buffett’s argument asserts many of the super-rich get to avoid income and payroll taxes -- since many make their money off dividends.

But a writer for Forbes isn’t sure Buffett’s math tells the whole story.

He argues -- Buffet is leaving out corporate income taxes on dividends -- which can run as high as 50%.

“Buffett’s made this argument before, several times in fact over the years. And each and every time he’s called on it, people pointing out the logical trick that’s being played. Yet he keeps making the same argument, no matter how many times the error is pointed out. Is this politics or something?”

Buffett reportedly has a net worth of about $80 billion. 

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Transcript by Newsy