BREAKING: Trump Tax Records Obtained by The Times Reveal He Could Have Avoided Paying Taxes for Nearly Two Decades

[Jazzhead]

Trump has no responsibility to pay any more taxes than he is legally obligated to do so.

Lets see. I do my taxes. I take all the deductions that I am allowed. Then, what, I am supposed to say, "Wow, maybe I should give an extra 10% to the IRS for charitable reasons. Yea, the IRS is such a good group." I don't think so!!

Trump has a fiduciary responsibility to his businesses, staff, board, stock holders, family, etc., to take all the deductions that he can with his taxes. I would expect him to do that. Just like everyone else.

Until one of you idiots tells me that you sent an extra 10%  or so to the IRS just out of kindness, then SHUT UP!!!

You don't like the tax code. You don't like the IRS. Then change it. Trump has said this repeatedly.

Correct. As Trump's campaign said, he has a fiduciary obligation to his investors and his employees. I have Trump's back on this one.

[sinkspur]

This won't sway one person.

Don't bet on it.  All people will hear is:  TRUMP PAID NO TAXES FOR 20 YEARS.

You think voters won't respond to that?  Don't make me laugh.

[sinkspur]

 
Donald J. TrumpVerified account
‏@realDonaldTrump
I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. #failing@nytimes


By that logic, we should put Tony Soprano in charge of reforming the criminal justice system.

[sinkspur]

Correct. As Trump's campaign said, he has a fiduciary obligation to his investors and his employees. I have Trump's back on this one.

What kind of fiduciary obligation does a business owner have to not lose a billion dollars in a single year?

[sinkspur]

Possible but more probable that they came from the IRS.  Tax records are protected by state privacy laws as well.   NYT releasing them without permission is a violation of that law.

Not more probable.  Trump has lawyers, accountants, and an ex-wife (whose name is on the return) who would have all had access. 

Occam's Razor.  One of them sent this to the Times.

[sinkspur]

I could mail anything with YOUR home as the return address on the envelope.   WTF has happened to you, Sink?   

LOL!  If Trump had released his returns in February, this story would be meaningless.

Now, the media and Democrats are going to poke Trump's eyes out with it.

[Luis Gonzalez]

For somebody supposed to be so intelligent, Luis....you're slipping, boy!

I could mail something from your zip code with your return address on the envelope.  It doesn't mean squat.

Do me a favor and don't post to me any longer.

I want to be able to retain some measure of respect for the [erson that you used to be and the friendship that we used to have.

I am intelligent enough to understand that responses like yours do nothing positive.

[sinkspur]

Agreed.  I like the Trump campaign's statement.  The NYT makes for a good villain, and Trump's got nothing on Hillary in the mendacity department.

You're dead wrong if you don't think those white middle-class boys lined up to vote for Trump aren't going to wonder "How come I have to pay every year, and he gets a 20 year pass?"

When they find out it's because he stiffed his creditors and took a loss, they're going to ask "I thought he was a good businessman?"

[Luis Gonzalez]

You're dead wrong if you don't think those white middle-class boys lined up to vote for Trump aren't going to wonder "How come I have to pay every year, and he gets a 20 year pass?"

When they find out it's because he stiffed his creditors and took a loss, they're going to ask "I thought he was a good businessman?"

The race is down to points and half point movements.

If something like this sways anywhere from one half to one vote per hundred, it's a win.

There will be another "revelation" soon looking to move another vote or two per hundred.

[HoustonSam]

Correct. As Trump's campaign said, he has a fiduciary obligation to his investors and his employees. I have Trump's back on this one.

So long as Trump's tax approach was legal then there is no real argument against it per se.  No one should be criticized for practicing legal self-interest.

The problem is that Trump cries "The system is rigged!" when he loses, then declares himself a genius when he manipulates the rigged system himself.  Not to mention he has revealed himself yet again to be a hypocrite by arguing that others should be paying more taxes while he has apparently paid none, and finally his brand as the greatest deal-making capitalist genius since Adam Smith is pretty much reduced to ashes by a $915 million loss.

In marked contrast to his "winner" brand, Monday night revealed Trump as a political loser in the debate, and Saturday night revealed business losses which most people cannot even comprehend, coupled with mind-boggling hypocrisy.  The rational, valid defense of his tax strategy will fail as a political position because of the almost-purely emotional basis of Trump's campaign.

[aligncare]

Two points.

Could Mr. Trump have released his tax returns under audit? Yes.

Would any tax attorney worth his fee have allowed him to do so? An emphatic, NO.

Secondly. Every large real estate developer operates under similar tax structure and tax incentives as Mr. Trump and may also show many years in which they have no tax liability. That's the way politicians set up our tax system – carrot and stick, reward and punishment for financial behaviors.

NeverTrump and the democrat media should get a grip – but, of course, as we've seen now for 16 months, for political and emotional reasons, they can't.

[DCPatriot]

Do me a favor and don't post to me any longer.

I want to be able to retain some measure of respect for the [erson that you used to be and the friendship that we used to have.

I am intelligent enough to understand that responses like yours do nothing positive.

I feel badly about our long-gone friendship too, Luis.   Don't be a b*tch.

The fact is that you're wrong in your best-case theory that somebody from Trump Tower mailed the tax return pages.

You can and should do better than that. 

[LMAO]

So long as Trump's tax approach was legal then there is no real argument against it per se.  No one should be criticized for practicing legal self-interest.

The problem is that Trump cries "The system is rigged!" when he loses, then declares himself a genius when he manipulates the rigged system himself.  Not to mention he has revealed himself yet again to be a hypocrite by arguing that others should be paying more taxes while he has apparently paid none, and finally his brand as the greatest deal-making capitalist genius since Adam Smith is pretty much reduced to ashes by a $915 million loss.

In marked contrast to his "winner" brand, Monday night revealed Trump as a political loser in the debate, and Saturday night revealed business losses which most people cannot even comprehend, coupled with mind-boggling hypocrisy.  The rational, valid defense of his tax strategy will fail as a political position because of the almost-purely emotional basis of Trump's campaign.

And perceptions matter. One can argue tax legalese till they're blue in the face. But if voters perceive this as " he got away with something" it could become toxic for him. Just ask Hillary

[sinkspur]

Two points.

Could Mr. Trump have released his tax returns under audit? Yes.

Would any tax attorney worth his fee have allowed him to do so? An emphatic, NO.

Secondly. Every large real estate developer operates under similar tax structure and tax incentives as Mr. Trump and may also show many years in which they have no tax liability. That's the way politicians set up our tax system – carrot and stick, reward and punishment for financial behaviors.

NeverTrump and the democrat media should get a grip – but, of course, as we've seen now for 16 months, for political and emotional reasons, they can't.

Trump's backed into a corner now. 

If his campaign protests that yes, indeed, he did pay taxes, he will be asked to release returns showing he did. 

The fact that he won't will lead many skeptical voters to the conclusion that he hasn't paid taxes over the last 20 years.

Whoever mailed this state return to the Times knew exactly what he/she was doing.

[kevindavis007]

And now we will get 3 am tweets for the next week against the NYT's although they did have no business releasing his returns without his knowledge or approval

It is hard to say how the public at large will view this, though. Both the IRS and NYT's and the media at large are not very popular. The public will either turn on Trump or the media if they start seeing this as nothing more than a pile on

You can blame the media and IRS all you want.. The main responsibility lies within the candidate. I don't care who it is.

[sinkspur]

I feel badly about our long-gone friendship too, Luis.   Don't be a b*tch.

The fact is that you're wrong in your best-case theory that somebody from Trump Tower mailed the tax return pages.

You can and should do better than that.

It could have come from Trump Tower, from a long-fired tax attorney, or from Marla Maples.  Plenty of people had access to this state return. 

Arguing over where it came from is beside the point.  Surely even you see this as damaging to Trump.

[LMAO]

You can blame the media and IRS all you want.. The main responsibility lies within the candidate. I don't care who it is.

@kevindavis

The point of my post wasn't to shift blame. The point was we can't say for sure how the public at large will view this. Too many on both sides sometimes assumes the average, inattentive, LIV will see events with the same mindset they themselves do.

Time will tell

[kevindavis007]

@kevindavis

The point of my post wasn't to shift blame. The point was we can't say for sure how the public at large will view this. Too many on both sides sometimes assumes the average, inattentive, LIV will see events with the same mindset they themselves do.

Time will tell

@LMAO


I understand, however, this story is all over social media

[sinkspur]

@kevindavis

The point of my post wasn't to shift blame. The point was we can't say for sure how the public at large will view this. Too many on both sides sometimes assumes the average, inattentive, LIV will see events with the same mindset they themselves do.

Time will tell

Trump's 40 percent will, of course, blame the media. 

But those skeptical, open-to-changing-their-minds voters will wonder, again, why Trump doesn't address any questions by releasing his tax returns.

[Longmire]

NeverTrump and the democrat media should get a grip – 

Impossible...

[sinkspur]

This Trumpkin will not be swayed:

[XenaLee]

Trump's 40 percent will, of course, blame the media. 

But those skeptical, open-to-changing-their-minds voters will wonder, again, why Trump doesn't address any questions by releasing his tax returns.

And they will wonder.....what else is he hiding in those tax records.  Trump is now skewered.  He's damned if he does release them....and damned if he doesn't.

[sinkspur]

stuart stevens ‏@stuartpstevens  45m45 minutes ago
Tax returns go through a lot of hands: accountants, lawyers & staff. A leak will hang over Trump campaign until they get in front & release.

[Blizzardnh]

some folks here say they are not voting for Trump or illery , so I went back thru the politics threads a couple of pages.
 One person had over fifteen anti trump stories and zero anti hillary stories. How odd.
Makes ya wonder about motive.

[kevindavis007]

some folks here say they are not voting for Trump or illery , so I went back thru the politics threads a couple of pages.
 One person had over fifteen anti trump stories and zero anti hillary stories. How odd.
Makes ya wonder about motive.

As a person who is voting for Trump (to be quite honest Johnson is flake and I don't like flakes), in order for the candidate to good, the candidate needs to be called out on their mistakes. Trump should have released his taxes in the primary. Not this stupid cat and mouse game.