💰 New York Times: Trump paid no income taxes in 10 out of 15 years beginning in 2000

[Regular_Atheist]

I simply don’t see why it’s a problem. There is no ethical reason to pay more taxes, no matter your income or assets. I myself make use of certain income and withholding classifications to make a modest dent in the amount I pay per year.

I don’t care about ethics or “fairness.” I guess I can see why a middle class tax evader would have no issue with this, however.

It just seems to me that the rich can get away with this while most ordinary people cannot, whether it’s legal or not. Most ordinary Americans will be absolutely drained of income tax (while working proper jobs) and then Trump’s administration will use that money to subsidise company wages in the form of welfare or give subsidies to middle class farmers. People like Trump, however, will pay very little tax at all. He inherited wealth from his segregationist father, used his status to gain political power and continues to drain ordinary Americans for money while contributing nothing himself. He belongs to the most idle and wretched class of people, absolute exploiters of other humans.

For the record I don’t expect Biden or his backers are any different. They are all of the same class.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Trump’s administration will use that money to subsidise company wages in the form of welfare or give subsidies to middle class farmers.

I’m one of those you think, incorrectly, receives subsidies. Among other things, I’m a rancher. I have never received a subsidy for anything. Ranchers don’t, and we compete with Canada, Mexico and Australia, getting no preference whatever in that competition. Can’t even brand our beef “American” because some people might think it’s safer (which it is. We can’t feed antibiotics to stimulate growth. They can and do.).

I will say that some ranchers receive what amount to cost share to do things the government thinks are good for the environment, like fencing off streams from livestock. But as one of many who gets into the chutes with animals that can kill a person in a heartbeat, I say that even if ranchers did receive subsidies to put food on your table, they deserve it.

 

[Feanor2]

That would depend where he pointed the business end of the firearm…

To be honest outside of something like that I’d say look forward to another four years of superlatives, hyperbole and ‘branding’ over there in your Oval Office lads. Biden I’d say is not bonkers or about to pop his clogs, despite the constant narrative thrust suggesting otherwise but I’d say if I was forced to bet at this time I’d say Trump is likely to be back in power again.
[/quote]

Sadly I think you might be right.

 

[puer.dei]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/28/politics/kfile-trump-taxes/index.html

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

It’s interesting to note that when applying for a sensitive U.S.job position there are certain red flags that will automatically prevent one from being hired. One of them is debt (let alone massive debt).

 

[EssentialBeing]

As a simple plumber I owe the IRS $200 in taxes & they come after me like a ton of bricks with all guns blazing.

As a millionaire I owe the IRS $1.5 million in taxes & they are humble princesses tap dancing around the issue like a delicate ballerina.

 

[Formon]

Also another great reason to do away with the income tax.

I’m not an expert in income taxes but I know there are rewards of many hundreds of thousands of dollars offered to anyone who can prove that we are even required to pay them. As for me, I tip my hat to anyone who can avoid paying income taxes. I want to starve the (government) beast.

 

[JonNC]

I’m not an expert in income taxes but I know there are rewards of many hundreds of thousands of dollars offered to anyone who can prove that we are even required to pay them.

Too many people have put that to the test and lost, even if the premise is true.

As for me, I tip my hat to anyone who can avoid paying income taxes. I want to starve the (government) beast.

I wonder if Joe or Kamala intentionally paid more in income tax than they owed. Doubt it.
The tax code was designed in large measure by Democrats. Trump’s tax responsibility is determined by that tax code.

 

[Formon]

Too many people have put that to the test and lost, even if the premise is true.

Maybe you missed my point. There are people who are willing to pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars if you can merely provide information (i.e., a law) that requires you or me to pay income taxes. There’s nothing to lose. Only a lot to gain.

 

[Formon]

I wonder if Joe or Kamala intentionally paid more in income tax than they owed. Doubt it.

I’ve read that Joe has avoided as much as $500,000 in personal income taxes. If it is true, I respect that.

 

[JonNC]

Maybe you missed my point. There are people who are willing to pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars if you can merely provide information (i.e., a law) that requires you or me to pay income taxes. There’s nothing to lose. Only a lot to gain.

I see. I think there’s no chance. Courts will side with the source of revenue that pays them.

I’ve read that Joe has avoided as much as $500,000 in personal income taxes. If it is true, I respect that.

Avoids, or uses the tax code to his advantage? People of wealth who complain that others should pay more have the opportunity to set the example.

 

[ProVobis]

I want to starve the (government) beast.

The beast prints his money if he can’t collect it.

 

[HarryStotle]

It appears that there is much more to the NYT article than what has been discussed thus far.

First, though, it strikes me as peculiar that Trump is being castigated in this thread both for being an incompetent businessman and a shrewd calculating capitalist out to rip off the American public for everything they have. Pick one. The two depictions are contrary to each other.

Let’s just note that Donald Trump paid about $38 million in taxes in 2005.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310418972525821952

Let us also note that running a business over years means that in some years the profits will be lean, while in others lucrative, often impacted by factors beyond anyone’s control.

Let us also note that Donald Trump actually paid (according to the NYT article itself) to the IRS $1 million in 2016 and $4.2 million in 2017 much of that carried forward to future years because his amount owing was $750. It isn’t clear to me that “amount owing” is precisely the same as total paid for that year. It could be, but that would depend upon how much had been previously paid, no?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310558049858400256

And we ought to further note that much of the alleviated tax burden on Donald Trump was thanks to changes in tax law brought forth by Obama.

Until 2009, those coupons could be used to wipe away taxes going back only two years. But that November, the window was more than doubled by a little-noticed provision in a bill Mr. Obama signed as part of the Great Recession recovery effort. Now business owners could request full refunds of taxes paid in the prior four years, and 50 percent of those from the year before that.

Source: NY Times Story on Trump's Tax Records Actually Proves Trump Was Telling the Truth, Blows Apart Dem Conspiracies – RedState

It is also telling concerning the tunnel vision the never Trumpers suffer from that there was a very disturbing admission in the article. Thousands of employee’s tax returns were made available to the NYT’s staff. From who precisely? Are you not outraged by that? Is there a moral issue here with a media organization getting access to the tax information of thousands of private citizens? How about yours? Apparently not - nothing is out of bounds to “get Trump.” Morality be da**ed.

NYT Drives a Stake Thru the Heart of Its Own Claim of What Trump Paid in Taxes, Lets Other Disturbing Info Slip Out – RedState

 

[Nepperhan]

Don’t forget Spiro Agnew.

Agnew took bribe money while he was vice president. I think the present situation is different.

NYT likes to invent accusations against Trump that would have put him in jail a long time ago if they were true.

Cite an accusation of criminal conduct the paper made which was not true. Your statement lacks credibility.

 

[Nepperhan]

I’m one of those you think, incorrectly, receives subsidies. Among other things, I’m a rancher. I have never received a subsidy for anything.

Tariffs on foreign producers act as subsidies to American beef suppliers. Its consumers who pay for the subsidy with higher prices for beef, sugar and other commodities.

 

[pnewton]

First, though, it strikes me as peculiar that Trump is being castigated in this thread both for being an incompetent businessman and a shrewd calculating capitalist

I have followed this for a long time. I do not remember anyone calling him shrewd. I know I do not consider him so. Perhaps it is different people that see him different, not a contradiction.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ranchers don’t, and we compete with Canada, Mexico and Australia, getting no preference whatever in that competition.

To clear up any confusion, there are no tariffs on beef from Mexico, Canada or Austrralia, far and away the largest exporters of beef to the U.S.

A Review of U.S. Tariff Rate Quotas for Beef Imports | USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

 

[Nepperhan]

To clear up any confusion, there are no tariffs on beef from Mexico, Canada or Austrralia, far and away the largest exporters of beef to the U.S.

Ah, the rhetorical pregnant denial. So, there are beef tariffs which raise the cost to consumers in the US, just like the sugar tariff. So these domestic beef producers have their operations aided by federal protective laws. That seems more socialistic than capitalistic.

 

[Nepperhan]

Security experts bring up a good point:

"“Americans should be concerned about the president’s debt because it’s a national security risk for our country,” said Donald Sherman, deputy director of the nonprofit government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). “This is information that the president has aggressively and repeatedly tried to keep away from the public.” …
Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics attorney in Republican George W. Bush’s White House, also noted that Trump-owned companies have declared bankruptcy six times, raising the question: Why have lenders been willing to keep risking loans of such enormous amounts?

“Why would banks assume the risk on these loans?” Painter said. “Or did someone else quietly assume risk of that loan for the bank to make it happen?”

Ethics experts see national security concern in President Trump’s more than $400 million debt: ‘Americans should be concerned’ – Chicago Tribune

Trump’s financial situation makes him vulnerable to pressure by outsiders or, in the worst case, coercion by an entity to whom he is indebted.

 

[tomarin]

A friend of mine on Facebook posted that Wesley Snipes had to spend three years in jail because of tax evasion.