A union that represents state, city and county officials is pouncing on the report that Donald Trump may not have paid taxes for two decades, running an analysis that it says details what Trump’s taxes might have purchased, including body armor and FBI agents.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which has endorsed Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, says its numbers lay out “how massive an impact Trump’s refusal to pay his taxes could have had on public services.”
It highlighted several subject areas that Trump has focused on: For example, it says the average salary of a Veterans Affairs registered nurse is approximately $75,000 or $100,000 with benefits and leave. If Trump paid his taxes without special breaks, his federal taxes would pay for 1,500 VA nurses.
While noting that individual income taxes are not earmarked for specific programs, it also estimates that if Trump paid taxes, 363,000 soldiers could have had body armor upgrades; and, using only presidential election swing states to make its case, the union estimated that 20,212 Ohio kids could have attended Head Start for a year, along with 20,325 children in Pennsylvania or 17,718 in Florida.
AFSCME also estimated if Trump paid his taxes without special breaks, his federal taxes would be enough to pay 2,300 highway maintenance workers, or 1,765 FBI agents.
It notes that the estimates are based on “the best available evidence,” adding, “the only way to know the real cost to American taxpayers is for Donald Trump to release his tax returns.”
Trump has refused to release his tax returns, which every other presidential contender has done since Richard Nixon. The New York Times over the weekend, however, published three state returns it obtained anonymously that showed Trump in 1995 filed a nearly $1 billion loss that could have allowed him to legally avoid paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years.
Trump has defended his tax record, telling a crowd in Colorado on Monday that he “legally used the tax laws to my benefit, and to the benefit of my company and my employees.”
And he insisted he’s the only person who can fix the complicated tax system to eliminate loopholes that benefit the wealthy: “I understand the tax laws better than almost anyone, which is why I am the one who can fix them,” he said.
Lesley Clark: 202-383-6054, @lesleyclark