Release of former president donald trump’s tax returns was the result of a six-year battle between democrats and mr trump. democrats argued it was necessary to gain insight into his finances from 2015 to 2020, and the internal revenue service (irs) began auditing the president after congressional oversight proceedings were started in 2019. supporters of the former president backed his right to privacy, as there is no legal requirement for a candidate to release their tax returns.
Documents were released in december 2020, after the us supreme court refused to block their release. this came after the pulitzer prize-winning investigation by the new york times revealed two decades of mr trump’s tax returns, which showed he paid little to no federal income taxes over that period. this led to questions being raised over mr trump’s wealth and his potential use of legal strategies to avoid paying taxes.
Release of these documents was prompted by democrats gaining control of the house of representatives in early 2019 and using their powers to conduct oversight of mr trump. the ways and means committee sought mr trump’s tax returns for three years, and it eventually reached the us supreme court. this was done in order to gain insight into mr trump’s finances and to hold him accountable for potential misuse of power. the release of these documents comes just before republicans take control of the house of representatives, which may end investigations into mr trump’s finances.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64122250?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
