Do you believe Donald Trump's claim that he paid more than $750 in Income Tax in 2015 and 2016?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (203666)
Walnut Creek, California
September 27, 2020 6:14pm CST
According to a report in today's New York Times, United States "President" Donald Trump paid $750 in income taxes in 2015 and 2016. Those are (I believe) the year he ran for president and the year he "won" the election.
According to the same report, he also paid NO federal income tax in 10 of the last 15 years. No wonder he is the first "President" in modern history not to make his income tax returns public.
For how many years, over the past 15, did you pay no income tax or get a refund? I am a hard-working middle-class person, and I have always had to pay income tax over the past 20 years.
Do you believe this New York Times report? Or do you think it to be more "fake news," coming from a "liberal" media source? I'll be interested to see how Fox news "spins" this. Are they still "with" Trump? Or are they finally fed up? They have their own credibility to deal with.
15 people like this
18 responses
@porwest (78719)
• United States
28 Sep 20
I am not sure if I believe it or not. What I DO believe is that he followed the law regardless of what he actually paid or did not pay in the way of taxes. He said it very well in the debate between him and Hillary when the question of his taxes came up and whether or not he paid. He basically said, "I followed the tax laws that were written by the lawmakers. If you don't like what I paid or did not pay, change the laws. But you cannot accuse me of cheating if I followed the laws you created."
If the question of his taxes come up again in tomorrow's debate, or any future debate, this is exactly what he needs to tell the American people and his opponent.
Has he ever been audited and found to have fraudulently filed? THAT would be the story. If he only paid X amount or paid nothing and followed the law...
Whose fault is that? The taxpayer or the legislature who passed the tax laws?
3 people like this
@marguicha (214281)
• Chile
27 Sep 20
I liked the picture. I don´t live in the US so I can´t say. Lovely post though.
2 people like this
@marguicha (214281)
• Chile
28 Sep 20
@TheHorse Once I met a young American girl that told me that she had to come to my country to learn US history. She said it was not taught at schools there. She didn´t know much about history in general either.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Sep 20
@marguicha How old was this young gal?
2 people like this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
28 Sep 20
a good friend of mine said there was a reason he didn't want those returns public. I would like to see more verification of the data, but I am leaning towards thinking the NY Times has hit the head with the nail!
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Sep 20
@DocAndersen Yep. But most zillionaires wind up paying SOMETHING in taxes, even if it's only a few million. His withholding of information from the public is unprecedented in modern times, even if they can't find anything illegal in his dealings. I'm going to do some reading on Al Capone and see how long it took them to "get him."
2 people like this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
28 Sep 20
@TheHorse i suspect there is little illegal in what he is done on his taxes. I think like some others do, he shifted debt around on purpose to accrue more debt than assets at times.
he ran as a smart businessman in 2016.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157027)
• United States
27 Sep 20
People who have money are often able to manipulate money to make it into more money. It sounds like he knows all the loopholes.
2 people like this
@porwest (78719)
• United States
28 Sep 20
@TheHorse I actually do not believe Trump was concerned about hiding anything illegal. If Trump did anything illegal, don't you think the IRS would have already figured that out, audited him, and went after him for it?
I think the reason he chose not to release his tax returns was pretty simple...
The news media would simply scour it for something that they could SPIN, and he'd never hear the end of it, people would have all sorts of fake ideas about what happened, and regardless of how inaccurate the reporting would be...
They would hang on ever word of it.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Sep 20
@porwest Even if everything reported (by the media) is correct, AND Trump was honest in his tax reporting, the Lefty media would spin it to "gall" middle class Americans, like you and me, most of whom paid more in taxes than he did. But, given his history, I am open to the possibility that he was not completely honest in his reporting. This is a story that I will actually follow.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45217)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
28 Sep 20
I haven't paid income tax in years. Of course, I haven't been offiially employed in years, either, so no income, no income tax. Of course, I pay still sales tax and property tax.
2 people like this
@mythociate (21438)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
28 Sep 20
Maybe this was addressed below, but 2017 was his first year in office & 2016 was the year he ran (just like we vote in 2020 & the winner gets sworn in in 2021).
Funny, I have "Resister"-friends who swear that 'income-tax is Robbery-by-the-Government.'
2 people like this
@mythociate (21438)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
28 Sep 20
@TheHorse So why do we pay sales-tax (if they already get it out of us thru income-tax)?
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (454863)
• Switzerland
28 Sep 20
IF he had nothing to hide he would have made his income tax returns public.... this is all what I think.
NO I did not pay taxes over the past 20 years, I am only paying taxing since year 2006, when we moved here. In Monte Carlo people do not pay taxes, so I did nothing wrong.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Sep 20
Your first sentence is exactly what I said in another comment. I am generally kind to others. And I worked with non-violent criminals for many years. But I admit that I WOULD like to see Trump do time. I've become pretty "conservative" in my "old age," but what Trump has done to America is a disgrace.
3 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (93502)
• Marion, Ohio
28 Sep 20
I fully believe the reports. Their has been stories even before he ran for president of him not paying taxes.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (93502)
• Marion, Ohio
28 Sep 20
@TheHorse They can only work with what information they are given. If an audit shows false info they are protected if they have paperwork from him for that info. Have never heard if they are handling the audit for him but it would seem they are. So only time will tell.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Sep 20
@wolfgirl569 Good point(s). I look forward to seeing what happens.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Sep 20
Yeah. The reports are probably true. The NYT still has journalistic "standards," even if they "spin" things to the Left a bit. If Trump ultimately wears orange, I wonder if his accountants will as well. As UncleJoe said, he probably never filled out a tax form in his life. But I'm sure he told said accountants the results he wanted and paid them well. I'd imagine they are sweating a bit right now as well.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Sep 20
@LindaOHio What time is it on?
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (153181)
• United States
29 Sep 20
@TheHorse I'm looking forward to tonight's debate. I could use some entertainment.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78719)
• United States
28 Sep 20
@TheHorse What is wrong is finding loopholes? As well, who wrote the loopholes? If anyone wants to fix the problem, the ones who created the loopholes can close them.
I have never heard a SINGLE person ever say, "Forget those credits and loopholes, I want to pay more taxes."
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (18760)
• United States
29 Sep 20
I do believe the report. You have to remember his hotel did go bankrupt last year.
1 person likes this
@everwonderwhy (6697)
•
3 Oct 20
Good for him! I don't like paying taxes. But I wonder how does he do it, legally?
1 person likes this
@piyushbhatia1 (11714)
• India
28 Sep 20
All the billionaires pay the same amount. Close to zero
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203666)
• Walnut Creek, California
1 Oct 20
@piyushbhatia1 Warren Bufett: "In 2019, Berkshire sent $3.6 billion to the U.S. Treasury to pay its current income tax. The U.S. government collected $243 billion from corporate income tax payments during the same period. From these statistics, you can take pride that your company delivered 1-1/2% of the federal income taxes paid by all of corporate America." Would you like more?