Patton: Donald Trump Didn't Pay Federal Income Taxes!

A growing mystery surrounds Donald Trump's federal income tax returns. Trump refuses to release them. However, the release of federal income tax is a time-honored tradition for presidential candidates.

"While not required to release their tax returns, all major party presidential nominees have done so for roughly the past four decades, including President Richard M. Nixon, who released them despite undergoing an Internal Revenue Service audit. Mr. Trump has cited continuing I.R.S. audits of his taxes in refusing to release his returns." (Maggie Haberman & Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 5/13/2016).

"But experts say that Trump is free to release his tax records. President Richard Nixon (who resigned the presidency under threat of impeachment) released his returns while under audit. Nothing, including an audit, 'prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information,' an IRS spokesman said." (Drew Harwell, Washington Post,5/20/16).

Deprived of the audit argument, Trump next claimed that "nothing was to be learned from them." (Francine McKenna, Market Watch, 5/11/2016). Nevertheless, The public, having learned that Trump is not at all careful with the truth, became increasingly curious.

Trump then became more truculent. "Joining 'Good America' this morning, ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked Trump what his tax rate is, and Trump simply replied, 'It's none of your business.'" (John Santucci & Veronica Stracqualursi, ABC News, 5/13/2016.

What next? When asked for his income tax returns, will Trump put his thumbs in his ears, waggle his hands, stick out his tongue, and go "BRAAAP!"

Then a ray of light penetrated the dark mystery. "Donald Trump paid no federal income taxes for at least two years in the late 1970s, according to a New Jersey government report. Trump, who has declined to release his tax returns during the campaign season, incurred no tax liability in 1978 and 1979, New Jersey gambling regulators found, when they looked into his tax returns and personal finances in connection with the Trump Plaza Corporation's 1981 application for a casino license." (Chris Good, ABC News, 5/20/2016).

Trump feels, quite correctly, that taxpayers will be angered when they discover that while they have been dutifully paying their taxes, Trump has escaped them entirely. If Mitt Romney's presidential candidacy was hurt by the revelation that he paid a very low tax rate, Trump's campaign would be devastated by the discovery that he consistently paid no taxes.

How is Donald Trump able to avoid taxes? "In Ossining, N.Y., home to a Trump National Golf Club, town officials say that a tax break being sought by the company would cost their coffers more than $200,000 a year.
"In seeking the reduction, Trump's lawyers have claimed that the club is worth far less than the roughly $15 million value assessed by the city. Trump's lawyers have filed papers with the state claiming that the 'full market value' of the property is (only) $1.4 million.

"(Yet,) The same golf course appears on Trump's new financial disclosure form released this week as part of his presidential campaign - valued by him at more than $50 million (!) "

. . ."It's hard to look at someone who talks about their wealth frequently and think they got that successful on other people's backs," (Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg) said." (Drew Howell, Washington Post, 5/20/2016).

True enough, for every tax dollar Trump does not pay, you and I must make up the difference. Said Hillary Clinton (who has faithfully released her federal tax returns for the past eight years), "You've got someone running for president who's afraid to release his tax returns, because it will expose the fact that he pays no federal income tax." (USA Today, 5/22/2016).

Gary Patton is the author of two books, Selling Mt. Washington, a political satire, and Outtastatahs: Newcomers' Adventures in New Hampshire, a work of regional humor.