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Law that Presidential contenders release their income tax returns?

Trump definition: Anything that isn't good for wonderful me.

Lol. Leftist loons might have an ounce of credibility, if they didn't only highlight what they perceive to be conflicts of interest on the right, specifically Trump in this case, while completely ignoring obvious conflicts of interest on the left.
 
Presidential candidates have been making their tax returns public for forty years.

Guess is doesn't expose corruptness then anyway. Ok, I agree, release their tax returns.
 
Good morning Maggie - hope all is well,

As for this topic, I have to say it seems almost prurient in nature the way Americans fixate on the personal, financial, affairs of those they look to elect to public office. Here in Canada, never a word is spoken about a candidate's personal life or financial affairs unless there is some scandal that becomes apparent. Their political ideology and policy initiates are all that matter to us.

Thank you, and yes it is!

I'd say that's an indication that politics and media may be more ethical in your country. "Lets see what we can dig up on our opposition," seems to be the chant...
 
Lol. Leftist loons might have an ounce of credibility, if they didn't only highlight what they perceive to be conflicts of interest on the right, specifically Trump in this case, while completely ignoring obvious conflicts of interest on the left.

The requirement should be the same regardless of party
 
If every other candidate released their income tax returns, no serious candidate would dare not release their own returns knowing that the electorate is intelligent and would not tolerate such things. After all, the voters are not stupid dolts who would overlook such a thing.

Except, as we have seen, being a "serious candidate" who releases returns is not a requirement for winning the election.
 
Should there be a law that requires major primary contenders for President and Vice President to release their last five years' income tax returns to the public?

How about candidates for Congress?

Governers? State representatives?

Would it require a constitutional amendment to U.S. and state constitutions to do that?

What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages to requiring this information?

Do you think that would be an invasion of privacy? Or that it should be the necessary ticket to ride?

For discussion...

I don't see how releasing this private information will help.

The information that the people wanted to see on Trump's tax form would not be there.

A lot of the people clamoring for his tax forms don't know what is on them.
 
There should be no law requiring the release of tax returns. Reason? Tax returns provide nothing of importance about a potential candidates qualifications for office.

What would go a long way in providing information would be total transparency connected to every dollar collected and spent to benefit the candidate and the candidates party.

If it were possible at all, every penny would have to be accounted for, and every person/group/origin of it would have to be accounted for.

Who a candidate is beholden to is far more important than whatever information about taxable income for any given year a candidate reports on their 1040.

A candidate already has to provide a financial declaration when he/she applies to be a candidate.

I don't think any more is needed.
 
No.

Let's face it, the only reason anyone wants to see a candidate's tax returns is so they can find something to use against them. Period.

A candidate shouldn't be forced...by law...to provide ammunition to his opponents.

Didn't we see that with Romney?

How many stories were created using the information from his tax returns?
 
I fully agree with your second point. The purpose of disclosing tax returns, however, is not to demonstrate "qualifications for office" but rather to demonstrate potential conflicts of interest and liabilities that could expose him or her to undue influence.


Having to disclose your tax returns is certainly an invasion of privacy, but when you run for President you trade much of that privacy in for the honor and glory of serving the public in the highest office of the land.

That is already done with the financial disclosure. That goes to the correct people.

The public has no business pouring through the mans tax returns to look for ammunition against him.
 
If every other candidate released their income tax returns, no serious candidate would dare not release their own returns knowing that the electorate is intelligent and would not tolerate such things. After all, the voters are not stupid dolts who would overlook such a thing.

What? Who has kidnapped the real haymarket?
 
It's been common practice for years for candidates to disclose their taxes.

It's pretty safe to say that those who don't have something to hide. All of the potential candidates for president and vice president disclosed theirs, except for 45.

And people knew this when they voted for him.
 
Should there be a law that requires major primary contenders for President and Vice President to release their last five years' income tax returns to the public?

How about candidates for Congress?

Governers? State representatives?

Would it require a constitutional amendment to U.S. and state constitutions to do that?

What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages to requiring this information?

Do you think that would be an invasion of privacy? Or that it should be the necessary ticket to ride?

For discussion...

I don't think there should be.

Currently taking odds on the Democratic candidate in 2020 releasing theirs. Currently at infinity to one against.
 


Transcript:

…to lock arms with one another. We demand that we see Trump’s taxes while we also demand that all of our rights are protected. We demand that we see Trump’s taxes while we also demand that women’s rights be treated as human rights. We must speak with one voice and one accord and we must draw a direct line between Trump’s taxes and missing girls, missing black girls all across this country.

We must say that while we resist one, we resist all or else our fight is inauthentic. We must say Trump’s taxes and equal education. We must say Trump’s taxes no more police brutality. We must say that Trump’s taxes is where we start today but we will not end there. That all our rights must be protected – and who the hell do you think you are to hide anything and treat us as though we are less than human?
(emphasis is mine)


Now why on earth should we require...by law...that candidates feed this kind of idiocy?


Man. Unreal. I really don't even know what to say. What really gets me is not that this lady actually said this BS (of course there are kooks on both sides), but that many people in the crowd were obviously agreeing with her. Ever since joining DP I have seen the part of liberalism that I never knew existed before and now I realize how far left the left has become, totally out of touch with reality. And their level of hypocrisy is mind boggling.
 
Didn't we see that with Romney?

How many stories were created using the information from his tax returns?

Heck, with Romney they didn't even NEED to see his tax returns. They just lied about them...as Reid did. "It worked, didn't it?"
 
I don't think there should be.

Currently taking odds on the Democratic candidate in 2020 releasing theirs. Currently at infinity to one against.

You could be right. I've always thought it was unnecessary. They already have to fill out detailed financial disclosures, and if that's not enough? They should ask for more information.

This is a media push. I don't think the public cares until the media tells them they should. Trump's takes up 104 pages. Here's Trump's ...

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2838696-Trump-2016-Financial-Disclosure.html
 
You could be right. I've always thought it was unnecessary. They already have to fill out detailed financial disclosures, and if that's not enough? They should ask for more information.

This is a media push. I don't think the public cares until the media tells them they should. Trump's takes up 104 pages. Here's Trump's ...

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2838696-Trump-2016-Financial-Disclosure.html

Most people would look at that document...and their eyes would immediately glaze over. The only people who would examine that would either be FEC regulators or hunters.
 
Most people would look at that document...and their eyes would immediately glaze over. The only people who would examine that would either be FEC regulators or hunters.

The media will look at it. Transparency is good
 
The media will look at it. Transparency is good

They had plenty of time to go over it and report on anything untoward they found.

Did they?
 
Should there be a law that requires major primary contenders for President and Vice President to release their last five years' income tax returns to the public?

How about candidates for Congress?

Governers? State representatives?

Would it require a constitutional amendment to U.S. and state constitutions to do that?

What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages to requiring this information?

Do you think that would be an invasion of privacy? Or that it should be the necessary ticket to ride?

For discussion...

No
No
No
Yes
None
Yes

Tax returns are irrelevant. There are no financial restrictions on POTUS.

The left wants these returns to go on a fishing expedition. Whether they find something or not, they will find something.

35, US citizen, 14 yr residency. That's it.
 
They had plenty of time to go over it and report on anything untoward they found.

Did they?

They found nothing. I wonder what they would have found in Trump's tax returns. We will never know. We sure know trump wanted to hide them
 
No.

Let's face it, the only reason anyone wants to see a candidate's tax returns is so they can find something to use against them. Period.

A candidate shouldn't be forced...by law...to provide ammunition to his opponents.

Or let's say for example, a birth certificate?
 
No
No
No
Yes
None
Yes

Tax returns are irrelevant. There are no financial restrictions on POTUS.

The left wants these returns to go on a fishing expedition. Whether they find something or not, they will find something.

35, US citizen, 14 yr residency. That's it.

Actually they are required to file a financial disclosure form already. They should include the tax returns as well
 
Or let's say for example, a birth certificate?

Age and Natural Born Citizen are requiremets for the job. Proving you meet those requirements is relevant.
 
Should there be a law that requires major primary contenders for President and Vice President to release their last five years' income tax returns to the public?

How about candidates for Congress?

Governers? State representatives?

Would it require a constitutional amendment to U.S. and state constitutions to do that?

What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages to requiring this information?

Do you think that would be an invasion of privacy? Or that it should be the necessary ticket to ride?

For discussion...

It's not fair.

Professional politicians draw paychecks like everyone else. The rest of their money power is in non profits, PACs, and campaign funds, none of which issue a W2 or 1099 as "regular income". Generally, they live a simple financial life with relatively simple income from a public entity.

They are the "rent seeking" class that you can't criticize because there is nothing there. They have never earned a private dollar. There is nothing to report. (but wouldn't you like to know how much your boss makes, eh?)

You hear about tax reform. You have no idea how many layers of reporting go into documenting income in the private sector. And to take a tax return from like someone like Trump (or Bill Gates, Jeff Bezo's, etc. for that matter), dueling CPA's can keep "questionable deductions, suspicious credits taken, suspicious sources of income, credits taken but not proved, etc.". So this allows every tax CPA in the USA to comb through a complicate tax return looking for "violations" for financial voyeurs.

How many of you know that most of the taxes of the biggest private companies mostly negotiate their taxes with the IRS? Why? Even the IRS isn't all that sure about it's regs and don't want to go to court, either, so they settle on a figure, and that's then end of it. They take what they can get.

Suppose you want to ask a complicated tax question of IRS rather than the CPA. They won't answer you. "File and we'll deal with it later". Thanks for that, assholes.

So in brief, public disclosure is a means of shaming an opponent that has been out there slugging it out with all the stupid rules written by people who have done nothing in their lives but write rules and have make a profit in their lives. If you have a beef with a businessman, you really have a beef with the IRS who operates under rules written by your congressmen.

If you don't remember anything else, remember this: Every dollar of tax money originates in the private sector, and is derived from their profits in the market place.
 
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