Undocumented US immigrants pay more income tax than Trump

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Comments by Sanwar Ali:

Donald Trump claims to be a “billionaire”.  It does seem to be a bit odd that someone who is apparently so successful, according to the New York Times, pays only $750 in tax.  If the Trump organisation disagrees with this analysis then documentation needs to be provided to confirm this.  Trump has so far refused to provide his tax returns.

It is widely believed that the analysis by the New York Times of the Trump tax returns is true.  Donald Trump may disagree with the New York Times analysis.  However, he lacks credibility, with many of his own supporters no longer believing him.  On top of the controversy over the Trump tax returns, Tuesday’s debate between Trump and Biden, seen by more than 70 million people, has raised yet more concerns about Trump.  There have been widespread concerns that during the debate, Trump failed to condemn extreme right-wing "white supremacist" groups such as “The Proud Boys”.  However, the leader of the Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio many would consider to be "non-white" of Cuban ancestry.

Amid failed efforts to remove undocumented immigrants from the 2020 US Census, a damning new report shows that America’s so-called illegal migrant community pays way more in income tax than the US President. According to the report, Trump paid a paltry $750 (£584) in income tax in 2016 and 2017.

The bombshell revelation has been condemned by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) – a rising star of the Democratic Party – who accused Trump of paying less in income tax than waitresses and undocumented immigrants.

AOC said: “As a bartender in 2016 and 2017, I paid thousands of dollars in income tax.”

Trump paid little tax in 15 years

AOC’s outrage comes following a New York Times report, which claims that Trump has paid very little in income tax over the past 15 years. However, the Trump Organisation has refuted the claims, calling them ‘inaccurate’. Meanwhile, the President described the New York Times report as ‘fake news’.

Ms Cortez, a representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, slammed the President, saying: “The allegations demonstrate that Mr Trump cares more for himself than the American people.”

“He contributed less to funding our communities than waitresses and undocumented immigrants. Donald Trump has never cared for our country... [He's] a walking scam,” AOC added.

Meanwhile the New York Times’ report, published on September 27, claims that Trump’s businesses have suffered ‘chronic losses’ and paid less tax ‘attributed mainly to reporting huge losses compared to money made.”

Trump’s legal team refute allegations

Following the New York Times report, Trump’s legal team moved swiftly to dismiss the allegations, stating that the President has paid ‘tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including millions in personal taxes since announcing his decision to run for President in 2015.’

AOC was among a number of Democrats to blast the President following the report, which comes just as Trump and Biden are about to face off in the first presidential debate on September 29 as the 2020 race for the Oval Office hots up.

The report could have a huge bearing on the debate and the presidential election as a whole. Many of Trump’s supporters are strongly opposed to ‘big government’ and taxes.

The President’s tax records have been a continuous point of speculation after he refused to disclose his records publicly during the 2016 presidential race. Trump became the first elected President in more than 40 years not to disclose his tax records for scrutiny.

New York subpoena

Earlier this year, a New York state grand jury attempted to subpoena the President for his tax records amid an investigation into the state of Trump’s finances and his business dealings, which included an inquiry into potential tax fraud.

Trump has fought hard to keep his tax returns concealed and has sought to crush the New York subpoena. However, a US Supreme Court ruling said Trump ‘lacks absolute immunity from state criminal subpoenas.’ The subpoena continues to be pursued, while Trump attempts to block it in other ways.

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