The House ways and means committee released a redacted version of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, ending an extensive three-year legal battle.
The committee gained access to six years worth of Trump’s tax returns in November, and earlier this month released a report on the returns, covering 2015 to 2020.
In a statement, House Ways and Means Chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said the move out of balance-of-power checks how the IRS enforces the tax code under the president. He said it was “the first time” a request from the committee was turned down.
“[A]At the root of it all, it’s the federal tax system that funds the democracy that we love and cherish,” Neal said. “The president is not an ordinary taxpayer. They have power and influence unlike any other American. And with great power, comes greater responsibility.
Trump has refused to release his tax returns during his presidency, which presidential candidates have done voluntarily since the 1970s. White House spokespeople repeatedly and falsely claimed Trump couldn’t do it because he was under audit.
An IRS requirement dating back to 1977 mandates an audit of presidential tax filings, according to the Associated Press, which noted there were audits of President Joe Biden’s tax filings for 2020 and 2021. The report on Trump’s return “found only one mandatory audit began and none were completed in four years.” his year in office,” and described the audit program as “dormant, at best.”
The new document, which includes hundreds of pages, confirms an earlier report from The New York Times that Trump claimed several foreign bank accounts between 2015 and 2020, including one based in China. In 2020, they paid more taxes to China than US federal income taxes.
In November, Trump announced plans to run for president again in 2024, despite being embroiled in multiple criminal investigations and battling multiple financial problems.
See a version of Trump’s tax return (Appendix E) here.