Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Absolutely. How else can we verify whether a candidate has conflicts of interest or is subject to outside influences?
Trump has promised, like all other candidates, to release his tax returns and I am sure they will be coming out any day. It's simply part of draining the swamp.
That's just it, you don't get the conflicts of interest from a tax return, you get them from the financial disclosure.
When an elected official is under investigation the FR is the first thing looked at. A personal tax return only, at base, shows income and deductions.
Look at the financial disclosure someone linked, every single one of those entities filed a tax return.
I believe you're in Maryland, yes? At least you post in the Maryland Forum frequently.
I know many people there/here who have declined not only running for office but also serving on appointed Boards because of the financial disclosure requirements.
I also tend to agree with another poster who said that a tax return would be problematic due to people not understanding the difference between a deduction and a credit (I remember people complaining about not getting a tax refund when GW Bush cut taxes. It was because it went to those who had paid federal income taxes, which they had not done) or other wrinkles.
You see that constantly here in the Finance Forum.
Yup I live in Maryland. I understand someone from wanting to revel their privet information.Yet if you want to run for a public office I believe in full disclosure.Many people don't understand the 58 pages that were posted about Trumps financials ,some of that candidates will have to put up with.
Oh and to add while it was not me .My brother held a political position in NJ for sometime and had to do all of....change that ,choose to do all of that .People asked questions about family and not nice ones but he and we put up with it,for over ten years.
Yup I live in Maryland. I understand someone from wanting to revel their privet information.Yet if you want to run for a public office I believe in full disclosure.Many people don't understand the 58 pages that were posted about Trumps financials ,some of that candidates will have to put up with.
58? I got 104. They sure won't understand a tax return.
**** most don't understand the piggyback income tax here. A couple months ago I had to explain to a real estate investor, at least she calls herself that, why the property taxes on her investment properties went up when the assessment did.
Full disclosure to an independent review body to check for conflicts of interest? Sure.
Full disclosure to the public? No. For this point, specifically, voters would have the choice of whether to "punish" a candidate for refusing to publicly disclose his/her tax returns by not voting for him/her. If they decided to vote for a candidate who didn't publicly disclose, however, at least they would do so knowing that there are no conflicts of interest (if my first scenario came to pass).
I come to my conclusion on public disclosure as I think that many wealthy candidates are in a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situation. Indeed, Trump undoubtedly paid very little personal income tax (he's pretty much boasted about the fact . . . note, he paid substantial property taxes, though). And he did so by taking advantage of the law (and as he was under routine audit, which is not uncommon for someone of his wealth, he'd be under indictment if there was illegality going on). Still, I'm not in favor of giving the opposing political party/special interest groups more fodder to go after a candidate who broke no law. Again, if voters want to punish a candidate for failure to disclose, that's another story.
The claim by the Left that they want tax returns to check for 'ethical issues' is total nonsense. Democrats don't give a rats tail end about 'ethics'. The idea is laughable. What they really want is to pour through tax documents on a fishing expedition to dig up what they perceive as 'dirt' in an effort to destroy their opponents. It has absolutely nothing to do with 'ethics'.
Has more to do with knowing whether a candidate is reasonably squeaky clean. I would like to know that the president was starting out with clean hands and at least known potential conflicts. After all we seem to be absolving them of any responsibility for conflicts of interest while in office, something no other position in government affords.
Has more to do with knowing whether a candidate is reasonably squeaky clean. I would like to know that the president was starting out with clean hands and at least known potential conflicts. After all we seem to be absolving them of any responsibility for conflicts of interest while in office, something no other position in government affords.
Which you don't get from a tax return. You guys who are claiming Trump gets foreign money aren't going to find it on a personal return.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,140,525 times
Reputation: 2677
I can't speak for anyone else.....but my tax forms were 64 pages long last year. (I know this, because I'm setting here looking at them right now.... and procrastinating) but unless you are a forensic accountant or know much about finances just exactly what is the Wal-mart clerk or the art teacher going to find out. They may understand the first two pages of the 1040 but not much else. They keep their records and they drop them off at the accountants. Period. And those first two pages are deceptive. Come on folks, let's keep it real here....... we know only about the things we deal with regularly. I know how to read my taxes only because every single year we have the same basic things happen over and over and I've put in over 35 years of learning how the accountant does them. If I had to start trying to decipher farm income forms and all the different forms it would be like reading stereo instructions. Put slot A in slot B.
Makes me wonder how many of the people who do 1040EZ are the ones making the most noise.......
I think the recount, Russian boogeyman, I hate Trump groups are that way --------> in your head
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
