It is important to first note that Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code states that tax returns are confidential and are protected as such. The only person who can release this information is the taxpayer (Mr. Trump, in this case). It should also be noted that there is no law that requires presidential candidates to release their tax returns to the public.
So why would “The Donald” not want to release his tax returns? First, releasing tax returns during audit could have adverse effects for you and your businesses. It could cause anyone who has a grievance with you to use the information in the returns to their advantage, or to discredit your information with the IRS. We should note that given Mr. Trump’s wealth, we assume the audit he claims is underway is part of the IRS Global High Net Worth Industry Group, which can be a very comprehensive examination and cover several years....
Obama never released his real birth certificate or transcripts. Hillary won’t release her Wall Street speeches. So why is the media so focused on Trump’s tax returns? I think I know the answer.
...........as an infamous woman once said ..........”at this point, what difference does it make?”
Now crooked Hillary said she has released 30 years of tax info. What she forgot to tell you is that they only include Form 1040....two pages.
And that's all that any candidate has ever submitted.
He shouldn’t release them probably because they’ll be too complex to understand by journalists and laymen, who’ll be avidly picking them apart for anything that might float their narrative of him not being as wealthy as he says.
It won’t stop when released.
Has Hillary released hers?
His lawyers say no
Even Greta agreed with that
I think this is DOJ way of hindering trump
It’s no ones damn business what is in someone’s tax returns. I don’t know when this utter crap became sooooo cutting edge that called for a candidate to release tax returns.
This is the kind of vapid airhead 2 second attention span shi.... That drives me crazy as hell! Sure our country will collapse because candidate a b c didn’t supply their private information.
This country is beyond repair
Who cares?
I don’t care about Cruz’s tax return or Rubio’s or Trumps return.
I care about his agenda and policies.
He should release his tax returns when Hillary releases the transcript of her Morgan Stanley speech.
I wouldn’t release them while under audit. I’d wait to see what the IRS says I did wrong...or right.
I don’t want to know about Trump’s tax returns, and I don’t care about them.
That said, I hope he uses every tax law available to him to pay as little as possible in taxes, considering how government wastes our tax dollars. Even if he doesn’t pay a single penny in taxes, so there!
If the “great unwashed socialists” want to get all bent out of shape about it, let them take it up with congress, who passes all these loophole laws.
Besides, the more Trump keeps, the more jobs he can create, a benefit to the rest of us, who can’t take advantage of the loopholes.
Tell Mitt to shove it, Trump. Go ahead, only the sinful envious will get their panties in a twist. Those of us who are reasonable will cheer you on!
He is right.
Releasing the tax returns will only guarantee a feeding frenzy by those who have no conception of what they are talking about and who will seek counsel from the “experts” with an agenda.
Releasing one’s tax records isn’t a constitutional requirement in running for president. It’s none of my business nor anyone else what a person earns. In fact, it’s a huge invasion of privacy.
This is all BS. It has been since candidates started releasing such information. It is NOT required, and a person’s income tax return is not necessarily reflective of wealth or poverty.
As a candidate for elected public office, I never released anything more than was required by election law, and then only under protest for the requests that strayed beyond outside contributions and disbursements.
The bottom line: It’s nobody’s damn business.
He needs a tax expert to negate Romney’s claims.
Tax returns do not disclose transactions. They do not reveal anything more than the name of the entity, its federal ID number, and the distributive share of income, losses, gains, etc. Not co-owners, business relationships or any of the stuff Romney claims to want to see.
Romney is a moron or a liar. But, Trump has missed an opportunity.
Trump should not now, not ever, release a tax return, and if he must, no more than page 1, Form 1040. No details. On a complex tax return, there are innumerable ways to question the taxpayer’s “honesty,” even if the complaints are not valid. In the media, they are assumed to be valid on page 1 above the fold, and if proved invalid, it shows up on p.32 Section B. It costs time and energy to prove one’s honesty. In the meantime he is crucified unjustly.
The short answer is there is no reason why an audit would matter whether you release your tax returns or not.
The feds already have all his info, so he’s not giving them anything they already don’t have.
Your political enemies will use the info against you? Yeah whether you are being audited or not that’s true. Your business competitors will learn about your businesses. Yeah, that’s true whether you’re being audited or not.
You don’t legally have to. Yeah, but that’s true whether you’re being audited or not. Your lawyer doesn’t want you to release anything publicly? Yeah. lawyers never want you to release anything unless you’re forced to.
They would be too complicated for people to understand? Yes, but again, they’re just as complicated whether under audit or not.
In short, there’s no reason why being audited should have any weighting on whether he should release them or not.
So why hasn’t he released them?
Because he doesn’t want to. It’s that simple. The audit crap is just an excuse.
My guess why he hasn’t released them? Because real estate gives you the best tax deductions, from mortgage interest to writing off travel and repairs and depreciation. My guess is with so much money in real estate, he pays a pretty low adjusted marginal tax rate.