So…why not show the returns that are no longer being audited, eh?
I love the game the media is playing here as they and any sentient being on this planet all know he will never, ever release any returns now don’t we. The RNC should write a new conventions rule that mandates same or…no delegates for Trump!
Watch him howl!
Is Trump saying that he can’t release his tax returns because he knows that they are inaccurate, and contain demonstrable falsehoods? If, on the other hand, he maintains that his returns are complete and honest, why does it matter that the IRS is auditing them? Which is it?
Most importantly, did said audits start after Trump’s announcement? Otherwise, he’s just another rich fool hoping he can overwhelm the underpaid, understaffed IRS with mounds of paperwork.
I certainly don’t know what’s in those returns but I’ll tell you with absolute certainty what isn’t: the financial portrait of a person who’s worth $10 billion or anywhere within miles of that.
Perhaps the returns merely appear large next to Trump’s hands?
In other words, “It’ll be a cold day in hell before Gail Collins’ assertion I’m a ‘financially embattled thousandaire’ gets verified by the release of my tax returns!!”
As a CPA, let me translate that letter: Donald has high priced tax lawyers who know how to invent so much fake activity that it’s impossible to follow the money trail to see how he’s hiding it all.
Obviously that’s just a guess, but as someone who knows of these sort of schemes but never uses them, there’s no reason any money trail is difficult to follow unless it’s done like that intentionally to avoid taxes. And so he pays his guys far more than anyone would pay me, in order to pay taxes at a far lower percentage of income than I could ever do for my clients. Not that any of this was in doubt, but I just wanted to make it official.
And beyond that, there is literally no reason an audit would prevent him from releasing his tax returns, besides his fear of what we might find; particularly if any of us chose to aid this audit by giving things a looksie ourselves. And while I don’t actually think candidates should have to release their tax returns, they should definitely release a summary that indicates where they get their money from and how much they pay in taxes. Because that’s the minimum of what we need to know so we understand who exactly we’re electing to office.
Agreed, I don’t know of anyone who has been paying taxes for 25/30/40 years who has not at least received a letter asking for clarification. Actually helped my daughter with an audit when she was deployed, deployment did not stop it and being out of touch etc did not buy her any additional time when it came to supply paperwork, etc. Being audited comes with being a taxpayer, The Dumpster is trying to say (1) he is audited because of his campaign and (2) audited because he is rich… yea rich in BULL PHUCKY.
We blew it, guys!
Had we laid off a bit the last two weeks Tramp would have won the gop nomination and we could have easily evisorated BOTH Tramp AND gop. Now it will be harder.
Oh, well…on to Ly’n Cruz!!!
The question is, how many IRS agents are investigating Donald Trump’s clearly fraudulent tax returns? Anonymous sources say 147.
The question is why are his financial records stored on a private server? One that his accountants didn’t know about? And why, with several available hours to rescue an audit did he wait to call in available accountants to assist? How many exemptions died in those intervening hours!?!?
Neither. Its a rather transparent and lame attempt to change the subject from the absolute disaster of his comments on punishing women for getting abortions.
And the media seems only too happy to play along.
This whole thing is so trivial. Guys that make as much as Trump and file complex returns are always going to get more audits than the normal person that files a normal 1040 or an EZ. This is business as usual.
First, I agree that the fact that his recent returns are subject to ongoing audit is no reason for him to refuse to release his returns. Second, I think the real translation of the letter is that his personal tax return is essentially the same as a business tax return, since he consolidates all of his various sole proprietorships and closely held entities into one return.
Third, while I disagree with doctorbiobrain and believe that candidates should release their returns, in Trump’s case there is a special reason why he should do so. Unlike any other candidates in living memory, Trump has claimed that his supposedly vast wealth and annual income are actually qualifications for the job of President. He constantly brags about how successful he is, how much he is worth and how much he makes. Since he’s put all of this into play, he should be obligated to prove it by, at the very least, releasing tax returns. There is some real doubt that he has been honest with the American people about his wealth and income and about the value of his assets, so I believe we’re entitled to see the evidence of that. Let’s see which of his businesses generate income for him, which have created losses for him to deduct, etc.
All of my returns are always being audited and as soon as that perpetual audit is over, I’ll be releasing them
If Trump is being audited over decades I would think he should find someone who can prepare his tax forms competently. I’m sure they’re complex but Jeebus! every year since 2002? Even so he can’t play being a victim.on this.
IRS: Trump can release tax returns, regardless of audit
Even if he is under audit, that does not preclude him from releasing the returns that he filed with the IRS. Furthermore, if returns going back more than 3 years are still being audited that usually means the IRS has major concerns about what was filed - normal audits are of one year’s return only unless problems were found that then trigger a look back audit.