30th September, 2020
Joe Biden, the Democratic rival of US President Trump in the November 3 election challenged him on Tuesday night to publish his tax returns.
It was during a moment in their rancorous debate, the first by the two candidates, at Cleveland Ohio.
Trump said that he paid “millions” in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 — disputing a New York Times report saying he paid just $750 in each of those years.
Biden repeatedly pressed him to release his tax returns.
“I paid millions of dollars in taxes, millions of dollars of income tax,” Trump said.
As the president continued to speak, Biden interrupted, saying “Show us your tax returns.”
“You’ll see it as soon as it’s finished,” Trump replied.
Debate moderator Chris Wallace then asked Trump if he’ll tell the public how much he paid in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017. \
Trump replied “millions of dollars” and said “you’ll get to see it.” Biden asked when that would be.
The New York Times published an article on Sunday that reported that Trump paid little to no federal income taxes in most years from 2000 through 2017.
In each of 2016 and 2017, Trump paid $750, the Times reported.
Trump is the first president in decades who has not made any of his tax returns public.
He has previously said he won’t release his returns while under audit, but the IRS has said that audits don’t prevent people from releasing their personal tax information.
Hours before the debate, Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), released their 2019 tax returns.
Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, reported on their 2019 federal tax return adjusted gross income of about $985,000 and total taxes of nearly $300,000.
Reported by thehill.com