A tax return is a document which states how much income an individual or entity reported to the government. In the U.S. there is no legal requirement of any kind that presidential candidates release tax returns from any year. Tax returns can be released by an individual taxpayer, but cannot released by the IRS to the public. However, one Senator has proposed legislation requiring presidential candidates to release tax returns. In 2016 a U.S. Senator proposed the Presidential Tax Transparency Act. The bill would require a presidential candidate to release the most recent three years of tax returns to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) within 15 days of becoming the nominee at the party convention. If the candidate refuses to comply, the Treasury Secretary would provide the tax returns directly to the FEC for public release.
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@9D6JRC62yrs2Y
No, but require a public audit every year they are in office.
@9XR5RJK7mos7MO
no, it should be their choice to do so. but there should be a required public audit each year they are in office
@9XP443R7mos7MO
No, they shouldn't be required but I would respect them more if they did, but there should be audit every year they serve in office
@9GV9Q2X2yrs2Y
No, but their investments, shares, ownership, and income sources from private companies should be disclosed in some manner
@9FV6N4TLibertarian2yrs2Y
Their tax returns should only be privy to the people involved with them, that being the IRS and the government.
@9F35KBP2yrs2Y
No, but require public audits after they are elected and during their time serving
Don’t know enough to have a solid decision
@93ZW6DN3yrs3Y
No, but disclose any conflicts of interest
@8XC556J4yrs4Y
No, but if there's anything criminal about their tax status, we should know.
@8TSRFYH4yrs4Y
Yes, as public servants, all of their information should be publicly available
@8SMSK2F4yrs4Y
Unless there is a certain instance in which they would have to show them, no.
@8RPQBK24yrs4Y
No, a financial statement is private information. But then again it may show they know how to balance a checkbook.
@8RP8P6F4yrs4Y
No, the only way a financial statement is helpful is by showing the candidate can balance their finances, which they better be able to do if they want to get anywhere near government's budget.
@8RNXNV44yrs4Y
No, tax returns have nothing to do with their ability to perform their duties except their ability or non-ability to balance a budget.
@8R993QP4yrs4Y
Yes, this will help root out some corruption
@8QBRNB74yrs4Y
yes, I think that we should know an extensive background on the people who run for president.
@8PR79LF4yrs4Y
This question itself is pretty biased. Tax returns have nothing to do with being president. If you are under audit you can't release your returns and if you make billions of dollars $$$ an audit would take a very very long time to complete. It's not like Trump's tax returns are a page long or a few pages, he runs many businesses and has large sums of money moving in and out of his hands, his tax returns are like large books.
@8PQQMYW4yrs4Y
Yes, this will help reveal corruption in elected officials running for president
@8NDB82K5yrs5Y
no its there chose weather they want to or not
@8MLSRJ5Republican5yrs5Y
No, Right to search and seizure
@8M98N56Libertarian5yrs5Y
Yes, but only if accused
@8LTSJ8G5yrs5Y
No, only if they're putting the american people in harm's way,
@8L9JW5F5yrs5Y
No, but the IRS should monitor their income and involvement in businesses/companies.
@8KQWN9C5yrs5Y
Yes, and also their medical records. Also require public audit each year they're in office.
@8JDN4J65yrs5Y
To show they don’t have conflicting accounts
@8J2BLBS5yrs5Y
It should be investigated by a government institution to garner whether or not they owe money to foreign institutions as well as released.
In a moderate amount personal information like this should be allowed to be released.
@8GSXFX35yrs5Y
No, just know whether or not they paid their taxes is enough.
@9C9MJYPRepublican2yrs2Y
Yes, but only if they are accepting public funding.
I don't think they should have to make their tax returns public, but they should have to go through some sort of vetting process that ensures they haven't committed tax fraud.
@99PP2QW2yrs2Y
I believe I dont have the knowledge for this
@8ZC4MLMLibertarian3yrs3Y
No, unless their former occupation has a disclosure agreement, then Yes.
@8W28P8S4yrs4Y
Politicians should only be appointed by the monarch
@8TNZ6YL4yrs4Y
To a bipartisan committee made up of citizens and officials where bipartisanship is strictly adhered to and evenly distributed, yes. There should be accountability. However, there's no reason for the media or general public to be brought into that discussion unless a certain number of predetermined (again by a bipartisan group) red flags go up in a way that shows a person might need an additional layer of accountability.
At the federal level, president, vp, senators, and house should be required torelease tax returns. High level state offices should also be required to release taxes
@8G2FN335yrs5Y
Yes, and also release medical records and get a public audit each year
@9D3HJF22yrs2Y
Yes, and the release of such information needs to be automatic upon filing campaign paperwork.
@96FVRKP3yrs3Y
Yes, the people deserve to know if they are a reliable candidate through knowing if they properly follow government tax laws or not.
@8RMG5LB4yrs4Y
No, accept for balancing a budget tax returns have nothing to do with their ability to perform their duties. But then again if they can't balance their own budget how can anyone expect them to balance a governmental budget.
@8RL7MDR4yrs4Y
No, their income is none of our business and tax returns have nothing to do with their ability to perform their duties. Well except for balancing a budget.
@8RKDFWP4yrs4Y
No, their income is none of our business, and tax returns have nothing to do with their ability to perform their duties. Except to see if they can balance a budget.
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