No Tax For The President?

By Aiden, 30.10.2020

Joe Biden recently released his tax forms for the last 21 years, showing how much his household pays in taxes annually.

US President Donald Trump says his tax returns are currently being audited, and that he won't release them while an inspection is continuing.

But there is no legal reason why the president can't release his returns while an audit is taking place, and he would be the first president in almost 50 years not to make them available.

Can Trump release his tax returns if under audit?

Yes.

Despite it being regular practice for sitting presidents to be under audit, every president since Gerald Ford has released complete tax returns while in office.

Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush both did so during their tenures, and there is no law stopping President Trump from doing the same.

But he isn't legally obliged to release his tax returns publicly.

There is however a law stating the president must hand over his tax returns to the US Congress to be reviewed confidentially if requested.

Democratic lawmakers have requested this, but Republicans have questioned whether they can demonstrate "a legitimate legislative purpose" as the law requires.

When asked about the law in April, President Trump said: "No, there is no law. As you know, I got elected last time with this same issue. And while I'm under audit, I won't do it."

There is also an ongoing legal battle over the president's tax returns - but even if his financial records are turned over to prosecutors, they are likely to remain hidden from public view unless he decides to disclose them.

Gun problems

Did you know that there are an estimated 120 firearms per 100 civilians In the US? There are literally more civilian owned guns then there are civilians, At 393 million firearms for 328 million people. And this is only counting small arms such as pistols. The worst part is that since in some states there’s no required registration, it could be higher.

Surveys continue to find that a majority of gun owners in their homes feel they are safer with a gun. And many gun rights activists continue to contend, backed by a long-standing NRA narrative, that "a good guy with a gun" will rescue people from gun violence. But several studies have found that the use of self-defensive guns to deter or counter aggression is rare: a 2015 Harvard survey, for example, found that in fewer than 1 percent of 14,000 crimes from 2007-11, individuals defended themselves with a pistol.