Trump tax returns: Public scheduled to get first look Friday
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The House Ways and Means Committee plans to release six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns Friday, spokesperson Dylan Peachey confirmed to USA TODAY.
The returns are expected to cover the years Trump was president and campaigning for president – 2015 through 2020 – and include his personal returns and those for several businesses along with IRS audit materials.
The Democrat-led committee voted to release the tax documents last week, but staff have been redacting personal information before posting them publicly.
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Why release Trump's tax returns?
Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said releasing the former president's tax returns is in the public interest and part of an effort to improve auditing procedures at the Internal Revenue Service.
"This was never about being punitive. It was never about being malicious," Neal said after a party-line vote following a closed-door debate that lasted more than four hours.
How did Democrats get Trump's tax returns?
The committee obtained the returns after a years-long court battle that culminated in a Supreme Court decision in November paving the way for their release.
A person's tax returns are supposed to be shielded by privacy laws, but the committee argued Trump's returns were needed to guide possible changes to tax laws.
What's in Trump's tax returns?
In a report released last week, the committee said the materials showed the IRS failed to audit Trump for years despite an IRS program that states a president's returns are "subject to mandatory review.”
An analysis that accompanied the report raised questions about some of the deductions Trump took to lower his tax bills. The former president didn’t pay any federal taxes in 2020 and paid $1.1 million during his first three years in office.
Go deeper:
Trump taxes: House committee report shows IRS failed to conduct 'mandatory' audits
Vote paves way for release: House panel votes to release Trump tax information despite threats from Republicans
House gets tax returns: Supreme Court denies Donald Trump request to block release of tax returns to House panel
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump tax returns: House Democrats plan release Friday
