According to CoinMeta, Buffett filed his first tax return at the age of 14 and only had to pay $7 in federal taxes. Today, Berkshire Hathaway’s tax bill approaches $27 billion. Buffett believes that the wealthy still do not pay enough taxes. His tax return from 1944 showed that he earned $592.50 from delivering newspapers, which just exceeded the then-tax filing threshold of $500. Based on inflation data, his income today would be equivalent to $11,406.65, and his taxes would be about $134.76. In his 2024 annual letter to shareholders, Buffett mentioned that the $26.8 billion in taxes paid by Berkshire Hathaway that year was the highest amount in U.S. government history. Buffett has long argued that the taxes he pays are still not sufficient, having pointed out that his effective tax rate is lower than that of his secretary.