
LinkedIn’s Hoffman Offers $5M for Trump’s Tax Returns - jabo
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-12/linkedin-s-hoffman-offers-5-million-for-trump-s-tax-returns
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r_smart
I'm pretty sure Trump has said he is under audit and will release his tax
returns once the audit is finished. What surprises me is that his audit hasn't
been fast tracked in order to hold him to that commitment. I don't think doing
that would even qualify as dirty pool in this case. It would just be
facilitating transparency about something some of the electorate has questions
about.

*edit: I'm getting a lot of replies saying there's nothing keeping him from releasing his returns while being audited. I'm well aware, but as has been pointed out by talmand, having the IRS sign off on his audit helps shore up his defense if anything in there looks questionable to people. Also, he obviously doesn't see any reason to give people potential ammunition. He stands to gain almost nothing from releasing his tax returns. Even if they're flawless and he's paying 60% tax (we obviously know that isn't the case), at best people would shrug and move on. At worst, they would find something to hammer him on, whether valid or not, and the audit would still be pending, giving him little defense to the accusations.

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talmand
For the comments pointing out he can release despite the audit, there's no
benefit to releasing right now.

For one, he's using it as a negotiating tactic in attempt to get something out
of someone else he wishes to be made public. I believe it has come up with
"release your medical records" or "release the transcripts" and "I'll release
my tax returns".

For a guy like this and what he does, it is most likely there is something the
IRS will complain about in the return. It could be something small or
something big, it does not necessarily mean it is proof of wrong-doing.
Mistakes are made all the time with complicated returns. There have been
examples of the IRS giving incorrect advice on complicated returns after all.
So, why not wait until the audit is done and all the IRS complaints have been
addressed before releasing? Why hand over talking points to partisan political
hacks that would likely make every little incorrect thing to be an example of
alleged illegal activities?

For all the conspiracy theories that's he attempting to hide something in his
returns assumes that the IRS is complicit or incompetent. I am more than
satisfied that if the IRS finds something illegal they will be more than happy
to conduct a criminal investigation. They have done so before with much less.

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oso2k
I hear your argument, but then why not release your previous year returns?
Presumably, those have already been audited.

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talmand
Now that is a good question. From the IRS:

Generally, the IRS can include returns filed within the last three years in an
audit. Additional years can be added if a substantial error is identified.
Generally, if a substantial error is identified, the IRS will not go back more
than the last six years.

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xkcd-sucks
What obligation does Trump have to release an unfalsified tax return? If he
"releases" a falsified tax return, or if a "leaker" releases a "hacked" tax
return document that is in fact falsified, is some IRS employee going to risk
their job by calling them out?

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MrZongle2
_" What obligation does Trump have to release an unfalsified tax return?"_

As far as I'm aware of, none.

The typical voter doesn't care, or assumes that Trump uses the same kind of
bookkeepers and legal loopholes that his political opponents do. It's the
partisans and political wonks who are salivating over this.

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salemh
Flagged. I don't see how this will lead to anything constructive that hasn't
been beat to death all over the news, and other web sources. Nor does it seem
very interesting in the ethos of Hackernews.

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jekdoce
Why not release an older tax return that is not under audit? How many years
returns are under audit?

