Tesla Chief Executive billionaire Elon Musk has launched a Twitter poll of his 62.6 million followers asking if he should sell 10% of his shares. 

The vote, which closes later on Sunday, could see him dispose of $21bn worth shares in the world’s leading electric car manufacturing company.

He promised to abide by the result of the poll, a response to a "billionaires tax" proposed by US Democrats.

By late morning on Sunday, with about 8 hours to go before the poll closes, 57% of the 2.8 million respondents had voted "yes," according to a BBC report.  

Under plans proposed by the Democratic Party in the Senate, billionaires could be taxed on "unrealised gains" when the price of their shares goes up even if they do not sell any of their stock.

Musk has criticized the proposal, which would affect 700 billionaires.

In another tweet on Saturday, Musk said: "Note, I do not take a cash salary or bonus from anywhere. I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock.”

"Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock," he tweeted.

The Tesla chief executive owns more than $200bn worth of shares and is due to exercise options next year that will boost his worth even further. But this will leave Musk with what he said would be a "massive" tax bill.

According to a Reuters report, Musk has an option, which expires in August next year, to buy 22.86 million Tesla shares at $6.24 each – a fraction of Tesla's closing share price on Friday of $1,222.

The poll has come in for some criticism as well. "We are witnessing the Twitter masses deciding the outcome of a $25B coin flip," Venture investor Chamath Palihapitiya posted on Twitter.

"Looking forward to the day when the richest person in the world paying some tax does not depend on a Twitter poll," Berkeley economist Gabriel Zucman tweeted.