Is total wealth a new item on the tax forms? I don’t remember filling in that one.
Just releasing the returns will make him seem a little more trustworthy to a few people. More than that he can then rail against his critics who said he wouldn’t release them. And assuming there’s no smoking gun in them, and there won’t be if he releases them, then he’ll rail against the critics who said he was hiding something. Depending on what’s in there the results could be positive or negative on balance though.
No, but in his claimed wealth category, most of his assets should be producing cash flow and/or capital gains, both of which would show up. Moreover, non-income-producing assets such as palatial homes and mega-yachts will usually have associated expenses (property taxes, e.g.) that likewise show up on the tax forms.
One of the few ways I can think of to be superwealthy and yet have neither income nor expenses show up on the returns is to hold that wealth in personal property such as rare paintings or piles of gold bullion, stuff that generates no income until you sell it and that he is not actively buying and selling. Such as scenario is plausible, but undercuts his image as an active businessman.
Another scenario would be that “his” assets aren’t really held in his name, but are in various tax-advantaged structures here or abroad, which again undercuts the reputation he has cultivated.
You forgot to compare Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Trump should release his tax returns when ol’ Hillary releases her speeches to Wall Street firms and all those emails she’s deleted. It’s only fair.
Or maybe when Hillary releases her tax returns? That seems like a less ridiculous fair trade.
I am curious:do you realize that it’s been standard practice for decades that major candidates release their tax returns? I find it distasteful myself but that’s the custom.
Really, you’ll have to do much better than try to posit an equivalency between some new notion pulled from the nethers (the speeches and e-mails stuff) and an understanding older than the majority of the current population (Presidential candidates are expected to disclose their tax returns).
It’s always been my impression that people should listen to their tax attorneys advice. Especially if they are being audited by the IRS.
Tax attorneys are great for tax advice. Making your tax return public is a political decision. Do you follow your tax attorney’s advice on pool cleaning?
There is about 50 years of precedent for presidential candidates to release their tax returns, which the Clintons have done for years. What is the precedent for candidates releasing transcripts of speeches given to private groups?
So you’re saying that Presidential candidates shouldn’t hide anything from the voters and the public. That seems fair. Even Bernie has suggested that ol’ Hillary should release more of her documents. Maybe if ol’ Hillary released all of her files, Trump might be encourage to release his files.
If he owned a pool cleaning business (and I had a swimming pool), I would.
Ignoring your tax attorney’s advice can prove to be very expensive. And the IRS is NOT known for being very compassionate. Just ask Willie Nelson.
This is asinine. Hillary released her full tax returns months ago.
They can confirm if the returns can be released during an audit.
I agree with you. Hillary should release all of her files. Even the ones she’s deleted. It would set a good example for the other candidates.
Look doorhinge, you think Hillary’s hiding something by not releasing her speeches. I get it. But presidential candidates have been releasing their tax returns for decades. Do you think we are all being crazy unreasonable to think that maybe Trump is hiding something?
Or, to posit a hypothetical more likely to be relevant to doorhinge’s argument, do you follow your tax attorney’s advice on how to lift goalposts from their existing holes and how to dig new ones for them?
Perhaps she should release her long-form birth certificate. And not that fake one - the REAL one that shows she was born on Rigel IV.
You see, my friend. We’re comparing apples to apples. Tax forms to Tax forms.
Trump is being asked to produce his tax returns, the same as every presidential candidate for the past 40 years. We’re not asking Trump to release EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. of his entire life, like you appear to be doing about Hilary. NOTHING would be enough for you, and even if she released everything down to her 3rd grade report card, you’d be demanding she release “the other stuff she has hidden.”
It’s simply amusing.
Not crazy, he’s definitely hiding something, his tax returns. It is still none of your business what’s in his tax returns unless you work for the IRS or have a court order. It is definitely your business who you vote for though, and you can consider a refusal to release important information like tax returns or a birth certificate as a reason not to vote for someone, or any other reason for that matter.
I know you know, but just to make sure everyone knows- Hilary has not only released her Tax returns all the way back thru 2007, but also her medical records.
Her speeches are a non-issue.
Do we have a statement from them saying Trump should not do this? :dubious:Or is it just Trump saying it?
'Cause there’s nothing wrong with doing so.