Warren Buffet wrote in an editorial to the New York Times that was published Sunday that he wants to pay more taxes and thinks his mega-rich friends should too.

“While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks,” Buffet said in the editorial.

“These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places.”

The winning bidder for a private lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett has set a new record for the cost of dining with the investor, after pledging $2,626,411 for the meal.

The winning bid at the annual charity auction broke the record set last year by a little more than $100.

The opening bid started at $25,000. When the charity lunch began in 2000, this was the price of the winning bid!

Carlos Slim Helu remained the world’s richest person, but Asia is where today’s big money is flowing, Forbes magazine said in its 2011 list of the world’s billionaires.

Slim, who is almost unknown to the general public outside Mexico, weighed in at a staggering $74 billion of net wealth thanks to his telecoms empire. Already the top dog last year, he increased his fortune by $20.5 billion dollars.

In a now familiar second place was Microsoft founder Bill Gates with $56 billion. The relatively lowly ranking reflected his enormous philanthropic give-aways over the year.

Forbes released its 2010 list of the 400 richest people in America this week, and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was in the top spot for the 17th consecutive year.

Industrialist Warren Buffett, Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, has bagged the second place this year with fortunes worth $45 billion.

While worth $27 billion dollars, software company Oracle’s co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison is the third richest American.

With a net worth that grew by nearly $4.9 billion, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had the largest percentage gain this year, jumping from 158 to number 35 with $6.9 billion.

Warren Buffett’s lunch auction rose to a record of $2.63 million in the 11th annual charity fundraiser.

That’s about 24 percent higher than the previous record, set in 2008 when hedge-fund manager Zhao Danyang of Hong Kong paid $2.11 million.

The chance to have lunch with the celebrated billionaire investor drew nine bidders and 77 bids, according to Ebay.

As happens every year, lunch with Warren Buffett is being auctioned off on eBay with the proceeds going to charity.

Last year Salida Capital Corp, a Toronto-based wealth management firm, won the right to dine with the world’s third-richest person with a $1,680,300 bid.

That was below the record $2,110,100 bid in 2008 by Hong Kong-based investor Zhao Danyang.