Trump's tax returns

[Upchurch]

I feel like there could be a lesson from history with Al Capone to be applied here.

 

[Foster Zygote]

Orange Jumpsuit Man Bad!

 

[timhau]

Trump just fell back on his "Fake news" excuse. He's also complaining that the IRS treats him "very, very badly" and that he'll be happy to share his taxes as soon as they're no longer "under audit". Seems to me we've heard that before.

Next excuse: "Eric ate my tax returns."

 

[Ladewig]

Wait. $750?

That means Trump pays more for sex than he pays in taxes.

 

[Lurch]

Wait. $750?

That means Trump pays more for sex than he pays in taxes.

He pays more on his hair than in taxes. Very meme-able, I think.

 

[Craig4]

Why do I feel that this will not cause the slightest ripple in his core support base (40%)?


Norm

You're right. At this point, an undecided voter is a 2016 Trump voter who is deciding if to vote at all. It keeps that voter home. That might as well be a vote for Joe Biden. This also energizes Biden's base which Biden needs to get out to the polls.

 

[Craig4]

He's paid more to pornstars in the past 10 years than he's paid in taxes.
Ponder that for a min.

Also $70,000 on hairdressing?

NBC says Trump used their hair stylist on the show in 3...2...1.

 

[Matthew Ellard]

What I bet it shows is that Trump undervalued properties for tax purposes and overvalued them securing loans. So he likely committed bank and tax fraud.

I think you're probably right. I also think he may have done a round-robin of money on profits, using consultant fees and balance-sheet loan accounts to non directly controlled entities with carried forward losses, switching over different tax years.

Tax returns are good but the supporting financial statements and detailed general ledgers is what a forensic accountant needs to see in a tax audit.

As for Russian money or capital benefits, a non-Trump controlled US discretionary trust, that invests overseas, can possibly distribute trust profit re-characterised as non foreign......soooo, again, you need to see the detailed financial statements and general ledgers.

Let's wait and see what we get to see.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

It's clear from the documents that Trump runs is businesses at a constant loss and siphons the profits to somewhere else.
Just like he's doing to the US.

No wonder the IRS takeover was more important than anything else to Trump after the inauguration.

I hope Biden will make a commitment to taking from Trump every tax dollar he owes.

 

[Stacyhs]

I gather that many, if not most, people in the US resent paying taxes (whereas in many other countries it's considered a civic duty), so the leader paying little tax may not be an issue for a lot of voters.

Yeah, people expect those roads to pave themselves, soldiers, police, firefighters, etc to work for free, those ships, fighter, bombers, tanks, etc to magically appear, schools to pay for themselves. Whoever thought we might have to pay for those ourselves?

 

[smartcooky]

What I'm puzzled about is why this issue will have no major negative impact on Trump's campaign, and it may well be a positive ("look at everyone piling on our Donnie"). If this happened to any other leader of a democratic country, he or she would be out the door before the day ended.

If you think about Trump supporters as being the political equivalent of Fundamentalist Christians, that will help you to understand... they are "The Faithful" - nothing, absolutely nothing you can say will deter them from their blind faith in their belief that he is "The Chosen One". All those who speak against Dear Leader are the Spawn of Satan i.e. Liberals; Republicans who speak against him carry the shame of Judas in the eyes of "The Faithful".

Trump supporters believe that Dear Leader can do no wrong.

 

[lionking]

Yeah, people expect those roads to pave themselves, soldiers, police, firefighters, etc to work for free, those ships, fighter, bombers, tanks, etc to magically appear, schools to pay for themselves. Whoever thought we might have to pay for those ourselves?

I don't know whether you are misreading me. I don't mind paying income tax. One year I paid $30k. Research has shown that not only do Australian not object to paying tax, but a majority would be happy to pay more in exchange for increased services.

My post related to a certain number of US taxpayers, the majority I believe.

 

[Stacyhs]

I think you have too much faith in the average Trump supporter. Think of the pro-gun people who deny he grabbed any guns with the bump stock ban by making them into 500,000 contraband machine guns that the public was forced to turn in, destroy or (in most cases I think) hide.

I think more Trump supporters would be more disappointed to find out that he doesn't actually sexually assault women as a perk of wealth than in anything about his taxes.

Ranb

As I said in the latter part of my post:

Or will they, again, just believe what he tells them and handwave away the NYT story as 'fake news' and believe what Dear Leader tells them as the good little cultists they are? Sadly, I fear the vast majority of them will keep their MAGA hats on, wave their flags, attend their rallies, swig another Bud Lite, smoke another cigarette, and vote for Dear Leader.

I have no faith in the average Trump supporter because I think the average Trump supporter has the intelligence of a lobotomized gold fish.

 

[smartcooky]

Next excuse: "Eric ate my tax returns."

Oh, I don't know about that one so much, but if push comes to shove, and the pressure really comes on, I fully expect Trump to throw members of his own family under the bus if he thinks doing so might save him. Its what malignant narcissists do!

 

[Stacyhs]

Someone on CNN said Biden should hand Trump a check for $750 at the debate and say he heard he needed a loan.

 

[Stacyhs]

Someone on CNN said Biden should hand Trump a check for $750 at the debate and say he heard he needed a loan.

 

[BillC]

There seems much crowing that Trump's corporate debts prove his incompetence as a businessman, and that might be true, but it does rest on the assumption that he has been telling the IRS the truth when he declared his companies to be loss-making.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Perhaps all Biden has to say in the debates now is "Donald, show us your REAL tax returns. We'll wait..."

 

[The Great Zaganza]

There seems much crowing that Trump's corporate debts prove his incompetence as a businessman, and that might be true, but it does rest on the assumption that he has been telling the IRS the truth when he declared his companies to be loss-making.

Looks like some are doing fine, but because of outrageous "consulting fees" to him and his kids, they make no profit.
So the real question is his personal tax returns as well as those of all the Trump kids.

 

[Stacyhs]

There seems much crowing that Trump's corporate debts prove his incompetence as a businessman, and that might be true, but it does rest on the assumption that he has been telling the IRS the truth when he declared his companies to be loss-making.

Then he has the choice of either appearing as what he fears most: a business failure or admitting to committing tax fraud for decades. A true Sophie's Choice for Donnie.