Tell Congress: Support the Presidential Tax Transparency Act

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Donald Trump wants people to forget about his taxes. He is hoping people will forget about his close ties to Russia and ignore how he is using the presidency to line his own pockets. We can’t let that happen.

Constantly hammering on Trump’s web of corruption will drive a wedge between Trump and many of the voters who thought he would “drain the swamp.” One of the best ways to do that right now is to get behind Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden’s Presidential Tax Transparency Act, which would make it mandatory for presidential candidates to release tax returns – and force every member of Congress to take a stand on Trump’s taxes.

Trump is trying to skirt bribery laws by kicking off his 2020 campaign this year, which is earlier than any president has before.¹ But Trump cannot have it both ways – now as president and as a candidate, we can up the pressure on him to release his taxes.

Tell Congress: Support the Presidential Tax Transparency Act. Click here to sign the petition.

We’re joining with our friends at Americans for Tax Fairness and other allies in the progressive community to get Congress to force Trump to release his tax returns. Sen. Ron Wyden’s bill would require all candidates and sitting presidents to release their last three years of tax returns or the Federal Election Commission would do it for them.²Republicans who oppose this bill are simply putting partisan loyalties ahead of allowing Americans to make informed decisions. Trump’s taxes are the window to his entire web of swampy corruption:

• Foreign entanglements. Trump’s debt load increased from $350 to $630 million in 2016, when American banks were reluctant to extend Trump credit.³ In 2008, Trump’s son Donald Jr. is claimed to have said “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”⁴ Without a look at his tax returns, the American public cannot know whether Trump’s current debt or his previous business partnerships obligate him financially to Russian oligarchs aligned with Vladimir Putin.
• Tax dodging. The American people who pay their taxes deserve to know if Trump has refused to pay his fair share. Trump has said he is “smart” not to pay taxes – and the campaign has not denied The New York Times reports that he dodged taxes.⁵
• Fitness for the presidency. A government watchdog filed a lawsuit just days after the inauguration claiming that Trump is in violation of the Constitution because any payments to Trump from foreign entities violates the anti-bribery “emoluments” clause of the Constitution.⁶ A president using his power to enrich himself while indebted to foreign governments is not normal, and we cannot let Congress and the corporate media pretend it is.

By demanding that Congress act, we can keep the spotlight on Trump’s outrageous stonewalling, force Republicans to pick between loyalty to party and country, and lay down a principle for all candidates in future elections.

Tell Congress: Support the Presidential Tax Transparency Act. Click here to sign the petition.

Americans need to get the truth about Trump’s business dealings, his claims of extreme wealth, how he truly makes his money, what tax loopholes he is using to dodge taxes and the tax rate he actually pays. As Congress starts considering massive tax cuts for corporations and Wall Street billionaires, the American people deserve to know how much Trump stands to personally profit from Republican tax plans.

We need to put the spotlight on the way Trump is potentially using government to enrich himself and his well-heeled friends and make sure Trump’s greed doesn’t put our security and safety at risk.

Tell Congress: Support the Presidential Tax Transparency Act. Click below to sign the petition:

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/wyden_trump_taxes?t=7&akid=22075.11103932.f_7i5d

Thank you for speaking out,

Murshed Zaheed, Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets

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1. Emily Jane Fox, “Donald Trump’s 2020 Re-election Bid is Already Making Him Richer,” Vanity Fair, Feb. 1, 2017.
2. Amber Phillips, “Want your presidential candidates to release their taxes? There’s a bill for that.” The Washington Post, Oct. 3, 2016.
3. Josh Marshall, “Trump & Putin. Yes, It’s Really a Thing,” Talking Points Memo, July 23, 2016.
4. Tom Hamburger, Rosalind S. Helderman and Michael Birnbaum, “Inside Trump’s financial ties to Russia and his unusual flattery of Vladimir Putin,” The Washington Post, June 17, 2016.
5. Chris Kahn, “Trump calls tax avoidance ‘smart,’ most Americans call it ‘unpatriotic’: poll,” Reuters, Oct. 4, 2016.
6. Kim Bellware, “President Trump Has Already Violated The Constitution, Lawsuit Claims,” Huffington Post, Jan. 23, 2017.