Advocates Demand Donald Trump’s Tax Returns & Fairer Tax System

On Saturday, April 15, 80 local citizens gathered in New Hartford to demand that President Donald Trump release his tax returns. The New Hartford (Utica area) Tax March is one of 193 marches taking place across the country on April 15 to demand transparency and accountability from President Trump.   Similar protests were held in other locations in New York State including Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany, Rochester, Saratoga, Bethpage, New York City, Goshen, Hauppauge, and Lewisboro/South Salem.

Despite promises throughout the presidential campaign, Donald Trump still has not released his tax returns, bucking decades-old norms. Every major presidential candidate and president since President Nixon released his tax returns. Because we have not seen President Trump’s full tax returns, the American public still does not know where Trump’s income came from, and who he is indebted to, and we still do not know if he’s cheated the system by not paying his fair share.

Local advocates are calling on Congress to ask Trump to release his taxes.  If he refuses, Congress has the legal authority to examine Trump’s tax returns through the Joint Committee on Taxation and make its findings public.   The  Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc., a grassroots advocacy and public policy organization, is asking local citizens to contact their members of Congress and demand Trump’s tax returns.

John Furman, President of the Central New York Citizens in Action, said:  “By failing to release his tax returns, Trump has violated two of our country’s most fundamental values: those of transparency and openness in government.  We believe that public servants must be accountable to the people who elect them. The American people have a right to know the financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest of their elected leaders.”

Presidents and presidential candidates have shown the American people their returns for decades. President Trump promised to do so many times during his campaign. Despite the fact that millions petitioned Trump to release his tax records within days of his inauguration, he claimed “people don’t care.” Increasingly, Americans are demanding that Trump release his tax returns. A new poll finds that 80 percent of Americans think Trump should release his tax returns, including 64 percent of Republicans. 67 percent say corporations “pay less than their fair share” in taxes, and 92 percent say the wealthy have too many tax loopholes.

The national tax march initiative is supported by the American Federation of TeachersAmericans for Tax Fairness, the Center for Popular DemocracyIndivisibleMoveOn.OrgOur Revolution, the Working Families Party and other organizations.  Local sponsors include the Central New York Citizens in Acton, Inc.  For more info: http://taxmarch.org/

Advocates are also asking that Congress reject proposed changes to our tax system that will benefit the 1% at the expense of the middle class and working people.  Mr. Furman continued:  “Our country needs a fairer, more equitable tax system that works for everyone—not just the Donald Trumps of the world.   Before any changes and reforms are made to the tax system, Donald Trump must release his tax returns. Americans deserve to know whether Trump ispushing policies — including tax cuts — that will benefit his own companies at the expense of the rest of us.  The current federal tax system — which allows, and even encourages, the wealthy and corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes — is fundamentally rigged, unjust and broken.

For decades, corporations, Wall Street, and CEOs like Donald Trump have exploited loophole after loophole to pay next to nothing on their tax bill — while our leaders have cut critical investments in schools and neighborhoods. Now, Trump, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell are making matters worse by proposing dramatic tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Instead of slashing taxes for billionaires, a serious tax reform plan will fix the gross injustices in the tax code and build a fairer, more equitable system that closes loopholes, invests in communities, and puts more money in the hands of working Americans.”

The Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc. is asking local residents to call their members to Congress to demand that corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share of taxes, so that our country can pay for important priorities such as funding human needs and other federal programs.   Trump and some in Congress have proposed massive cuts that would harm low-income and vulnerable people and communities. These cuts would be extremely detrimental to Central New York residents and communities since many local governments and nonprofit governments rely upon federal funding to provide services.

Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc. hereby grants permission for the media to use Tax March photos at our website – www.cnycia.org.

By martha

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