A resounding report accuses Trump of avoiding paying taxes for years
US President Donald Trump faced accusations Sunday that he had either paid little in federal income taxes or had not paid at all for years before coming to power, as his mysterious financial past sparked controversy ahead of the first pre-election debate.
The New York Times reported that the billionaire president paid only $ 750 in income taxes in 2016, the same year he won the presidential election, and in 2017. In ten of the 15 years preceding that, he did not pay any federal income taxes given that It recorded losses in excess of the income it generated.
Trump, who immediately described the accusations as "completely false news," is preparing to confront his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, in an important debate between them on Tuesday.
The Republican president has abandoned presidential tradition by refusing to publish his tax revenues and has fought a long battle in the courts, sparking speculation about their content.
Denying the New York Times report, which dealt with tax data dating back more than 20 years, Trump said, "First, I paid large sums and paid a lot of government income taxes as well ... All of that will be revealed."
The Times said that Trump reduced his tax bill by recovering $ 72.9 million in taxes, a matter the domestic tax authority is auditing.
The report says he also received tax rebates on accommodations and the plane and $ 70,000 for hairdressing fees for a TV appearance.
On the other hand, the golf courses that he owns have reported losing large sums of money as hundreds of millions of dollars of loans he personally guaranteed are close to repayment, according to a New York Times report.
Democrats were quick to exploit the accusations, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that this showed "Trump's contempt for working families in America," while her Democratic colleague Chuck Schumer called on all "those who paid less federal taxes" to raise their hand.
Massachusetts Representative Richard Neal, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee who has sought unsuccessfully to obtain Trump's tax records, said the Times report added to the importance of his committee having the records.
He wrote on his Facebook page, "It seems that the president used the tax law to his advantage and used legal battles to delay or avoid paying what he owed."
"Donald Trump is now the head of the agency he considers an opponent," he added.
It is imperative that the tax authority's president’s audit program be kept away from any interference. ”
The Biden campaign team published a tweet referring to the federal tax sums paid by teachers ($ 7,238), firefighters ($ 5,283) and nurses ($ 10,216), all of which were groups that suffered a major setback during the coronavirus crisis and the West Coast fires - two of the main topics prior to the debate.
In Tuesday's election debate, millions of Americans will watch the two candidates who each view the other as an existential threat to the country, live on television after months of indirect confrontation.
On Sunday, Trump launched a new attack on Biden, addressing his state of mind.
"I will strongly demand that a doping test be conducted for a sleepy Joe Biden, before or after the debate on Tuesday night," he wrote in a tweet, stressing that he will undergo the same examination.
"Of course, I will agree to one procedure as well.
His performance in the debates was fluctuating in a standard way (...) Only doping could cause this disparity ?? ”, without relying on his accusation against his opponent with any concrete evidence.
In response to reporters' questions about that demand, Biden laughed before he declined to comment.
The two men are known for making mistakes and slips during the conversation, but Trump, 74, has often accused the 77-year-old Biden of "dementia."
On Saturday Biden said he expected "personal attacks and lies" from the president, likening Trump to Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.
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