Trump excuse for not releasing tax returns puzzles experts

“Nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information”, IRS spokesman Anthony Burke said in an e-mail.

The Trump campaign did not respond to questions from the AP about why the IRS would be auditing his tax returns past the normal three year period. I will absolutely give my return, but I’m being audited now for two or three years, so I can’t do it until the audit is finished, obviously.

“But I can tell you one thing: I am audited when I shouldn’t be audited”, Trump said.

Trump’s taxes became an issue this week when former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said primary voters are right to be concerned there is a “bombshell” hiding in Trump’s returns.

After Thursday’s debate, Trump suggested that releasing his returns now would compromise his negotiating position with the IRS. “Politics and religion do not factor into this”, the agency said in an e-mailed statement.

But the odds of being randomly audited every year for a decade is vanishingly small — and Trump’s statement that “four or five” years of his tax returns are actively being audited raised even more questions.

Following the debate, Trump suggested he has been audited because he is a Christian.

As for “negotiating”, there’s not much leeway for it in audits.

Trump apparently tried to make a connection with the IRS’s recent targeting of conservative and religious groups, the subsequent email scandals involving top IRS official Lois Lerner, the Senate hearings over the matter, and Trump’s current IRS audit. There are probably disputes between the agency and Trump about the value of those assets which could drastically effect his tax bill. While the attorney in me sides with Goldburd in offering solid legal counsel, the citizen in me supports Bankman’s assertion that an audit isn’t a valid excuse, particularly in a presidential election. I get audited every year.

But another former IRS attorney, Garrett Gregory, does think there could be a potential “ripple effect” for any public figure releasing returns before an audit is complete.

“I’m always audited by the IRS, which I think is very unfair – I don’t know, maybe because of religion, maybe because of something else, maybe because I’m doing this, although this is just recently”, Trump said in an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo immediately following the 10th GOP debate on Thursday night.

Trump’s claims have created a bit of controversy as to how the publication of his tax returns should be handled.

Federal law prohibits the government from releasing an individual’s tax return, but most candidates do so voluntarily.

The Internal Revenue Service and tax experts, though, say he can.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also seized the opportunity to get one over Trump.

And Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made $205,271 in gross income in 2014, according to excerpts from released tax returns.