It's become a formality for running for president and Trump inexplicably refuses to do it, including lying about why he won't do it. So, that's certainly ratcheted up curiosity about what's on there.

 

Never understood the formality of it. The lying is not cool; but again, it will just affirm what you already know except you can't put an exact number to it.

Doesn't have anything to do with political affiliation to me.

FWIW he needs to release it and get it behind him.

Doesn't have anything to do with political affiliation to me.

 

Of course not :lol2:

Why is the tax return a big deal and what information can you learn from it? : Sunlight Foundation

 

It’s also important to remember that unlike Congress, presidents are exempt from conflict-of-interest laws.

This makes disclosure of income tax returns especially important to shed light on areas of possible conflicts of interest. Yearly salaries are often reported in the news but tax returns reveal so much more about the character of the candidate. Their debts give us a broader sense of the state of their finances, and perhaps more importantly an idea to whom they could feel beholden. We learn how much (or little) they paid in taxes, and whether they utilized loopholes in tax law to avoid paying those taxes. It sheds light on whether they conducted activity that they have criticized on the campaign trail.

Learning about candidates businesses, business partners and the state of those activities can help understand how their judgment might be affected by their financial transactions and debts.

We learn their values and priorities from learning which charities they support.

There is a reason why banks use tax returns when evaluating mortgages: the forms offer a snapshot of a person’s financial position and their financial decision making processes. Financial disclosure forms simply don’t offer a complete picture. The two documents together may give voters a better sense of how a candidate makes financial decisions. Voters should be able to evaluate the information contained in these documents together before deciding who to vote for in November.

 

Obviously JMO, but there isn't a single valid reason in there...

FWIW he needs to release it and get it behind him.

 

Agreed. Refusing - especially now that one of the main reasons for not doing so has been debunked - just adds fuel to the fire for the naysayers. Makes one ponder the possibility that what's there could be more damaging than maintaining the status quo to the point of lying about it.

 

Personally, I don't think it would hurt him much. Everybody knew what he was going in.

Agreed. Refusing - especially that one of the main reasons for not doing so has been debunked - just adds fuel to the fire for the naysayers.

 

Makes one think that what's there could be more damaging than maintaining the status quo to the point of lying about it.

 

I don't know that it's been debunked unless his attorney has said he needs to release them. He has said from the beginning that his attorneys are the ones telling him not to release them. The fact that the IRS says he can, does nothing to change the legal opinion of his attorney.

Never understood the formality of it. The lying is not cool; but again, it will just affirm what you already know except you can't put an exact number to it.

 

I guess. But my sense is he wouldn't be breaking from long-standing tradition if the documents were as uninteresting as it's implied they are on here.

Of course not :lol2:

 

Correct. I think all Presidential candidates should do so.

I guess. But my sense is he wouldn't be breaking from long-standing tradition if the documents were as uninteresting as it's implied they are on here.

I agree with this, though that thought already seemed obvious to me and most who are being truthful with themselves.

Correct. I think all Presidential candidates should do so.

 

How about College transcripts, that would tell us a lot about them too wouldn't it?

Hilary Clinton released hers over a year ago. I have never read it nor has anyone I know read it.

How about College transcripts, that would tell us a lot about them too wouldn't it?

 

That is expected of nearly any applicant. Al Gore, George W. Bush, John Kerry, and John McCain all released their college records. It seems like somebody is missing from that list. Maybe that missing person started his own tradition.

That is expected of nearly any applicant. Al Gore, George W. Bush, John Kerry, and John McCain all released their college records. It seems like somebody is missing from that list. Maybe that missing person started his own tradition.

 

Bush and Gore's were leaked to the press. I can't find any evidence McCain (or Romney) released theirs. From what I can tell, Kerry released his after the election. I don't think that's much of a tradition.

How about College transcripts, that would tell us a lot about them too wouldn't it?

 

I'm not all that interested in what a Presidential candidate did in school at 19. Probably just me, though.