Posted on 03/18/2017 3:26:55 PM PDT by Kaslin
One can argue about whether public officials should be expected to release their tax returns. Frankly, as a former public official at the Federal Election Commission, I believe we’ve gone way too far in denying officials any semblance of a private life.
I don’t care what President Donald Trump’s tax returns show, and I don’t think they are any of my (or anyone else’s) business.
I am interested in the principles and policies that candidates and elected officials stand for, not how much income they earned or taxes they paid.
Others feel differently, of course. But there is no question that the White House is right about what it said in the statement it released after MSNBC and a contributor at the Daily Beast, David Cay Johnston, published Trump’s 2005 federal tax return: “It is totally illegal to steal and publish tax returns.”
Take a look at 26 U.S.C. §7213, which Congress passed to protect the confidentiality of the returns filed by every adult American. Section (a)(1) makes it a felony for any federal employee to disclose tax returns or “return information.” Violating this provision can land the offending bureaucrat in federal prison for up to five years and he can be fined up to $250,000 under the Alternative Fines Act (18 U.S.C. §3571).
But this law doesn’t just apply to government employees. It also applies to private individuals and entities such as Mr. Johnston.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I think someone of confused gender orientation may be going to jail.
sure you or me, they’d put us under the jail. Rachel Maddow will get an award and a better time slot
As long as Trump and his people follow the tax laws, there’s nothing more to this tax story, in my opinion.
Liberals may get out there and bitch about depreciation allowances, loss carry forwards, amortization expense, and other things which the average person doesn’t understand. But, all of these items, and more, are in the Internal Revenue Code, and are all legal tax deduction or exemption items.
Tax laws have been passed over the years by various congresses.
Point is, liberals can’t bitch about Trump and his taxes, because even if we saw details of what’s behind these numbers, they would be bitching about things which are perfectly legal.
Speaking of taxes, why have no liberals, or anyone for that matter, talked about how the Clintons took a $1 million tax deduction for a contribution to their own charity??
While that is apparently perfectly legal, that sort of transaction doesn’t pass the smell test.
You can trim your taxes by “contributing” to a charity which you yourself control??? Who knew????
There has never been a reason to disclose a president’s or presidential candidate’s tax returns.
Trump is right.
We should never see another president’s tax return.
I hope President Trump sues NBC and all who had a hand in this.
She needs to be tossed in jail
So is requireing use of your SSAN for anything other than Social Security but, Jimmmy Carter did when he took away our military id #s and had our SSAN stamped on our dog tags, as well as it used on many other military documents. Yet, He never got charged or sent to jail.
I think von Spakovsky said it well.
What’s to be gained by looking at the tax returns of a candidate, the IRS has already gone over them with a fine tooth comb.
People opposing the candidate will just resort to criticizing the candidate for doing things that are perfectly legal.
His tax return is not the public’s business. Neither is yours or anyone elses
I’d love to see Maddcow in a metal corral.
“Hans A. von Spakovsky”
He is on our local afternoon Talk Radio (AM 1310) quite often with Vicki McKenna.
I’d take anything Hans has to say to the bank. :)
The author may be factually correct about the Federal statute that covers the disclosure of a person’s tax return, but I’m not discounting the possibility that this information was sent to the dude who showed it on MSNBC by someone who had received it through legitimate means.
I hope he goes ahead with it.
I’d put my income taxes online but I dont want my salary to leak out.
“YOU SALARY COULDN’T DRIP OUT!”
The Honeymooners :)
You are entitled to your opinion, Dilbert, but I will bet that you would be screaming if anyone released your tax return.
“We should never see another president’s tax return.”
No question it’s none of our business. If issue arises, doesn’t seem unreasonable to charge IRS with resolving any question about an elected or appointed officials tax return.
Somehow Maddow going to jail strikes me as analogous to a sailor gtting a carte blanch liberty card after a long cruise.
Not if it helps progressives...
The law says that is is a felony to disclose a tax return and it my opinion that Rachal Mancow is in big trouble with Jeff Sessions.Here is the law regarding “other persons” BEYOND government officials!!:
(3) no other person (or officer or employee thereof) who has or had access to returns or return information under subsection (e)(1)(D)(iii), subsection (k)(10), paragraph (6), (10), (12), (16), (19), (20), or (21) of subsection (l), paragraph (2) or (4)(B) of subsection (m), or subsection (n),
shall disclose any return or return information obtained by him in any manner in connection with his service as such an officer or an employee or otherwise or under the provisions of this section.” I want her and that Bozo that she had on there INDICTED!!
Laws aren’t meant for liberals. They are only to be used to punish conservatives.
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