Anne Arkey
Favorite Answer
Two reasons -- One, his returns would show everyone he's not the billionaire he claims he is, two, he pays almost no taxes. Probably less that you do.
Softtouchmale
Its an interesting question but an irrelevant one. In order to run you need to file financial disclosures that give more detail than a tax return. Trump probably has more notes and other items in his tax returns than most because he owns various enterprises through stock and probably a few partnerships, and a host of different business entities.
What goes on to an IRS form is not necessarily an accurate picture of what a person's net worth is, or whether they have conflicts of interest.
And tax returns are considered confidential records that are held by the US Government and by law cannot be released to just anybody.
A candidate may disclose a tax return just like anyone else, but they are not required to.
I think Trump's actual holdings are probably well known as it is. His financial disclosure forms are subject to government scrutiny anyway.
Personally when I look at a tax return, I would have to back out numbers in order to try and divine what a net worth really is. So the tax returns don't necessarily prove anything as to net worth.
Mr. Smartypants
Mitt Romney released only one tax return, and for weeks at the height of the campaign the discussion was about how little he paid in taxes. Romney tried to make it sound like it was heroic, even patriotic, to pay as little in taxes as he could get away with, but the voters didn't see it that way. Trump may pay even less in taxes, as a percentage of income.
Trump has a whole army of lawyers working for him full-time. I'm sure he spends millions of dollars a year on legal services to reduce his tax bill through 'creative accounting' and every loophole his people can find. He has a history of business failures in which he got a lot richer by losing only other peoples' money, cheating investors and contractors. Tax returns would show his sleazy business practices.
Plus tax returns might show how rich he is, that is, not nearly as rich as he says. He's the king of debt! He's leveraged to a huge degree. He may turn out not even to be a billionaire. That would be embarrassing!
strpenta
The only reason he wouldn't is b/c he's done something in the past he doesn't want to admit. He knows how nasty politics are..he apparently thinks it's better to create doubt by not showing them than to reveal whatever it is hiding. And he says he can be open and honest about anything b/c he's not beholden to anyone. lol
Dr Yes level 9 since 1999
It cannot be from paying too little in taxes. His followers WANT to cut taxes for the rich. So the only other thing left is his actual status as a billionaire. His entire celebrity career is built on being a billionaire.