Letters to the Editor: The public service done by Democrats in releasing Trump’s tax returns

To the editor: Columnist Nicholas Goldberg left me scratching my head when he noted, “Donald Trump should have released his tax returns when he was running for president,” as if the failure is simply a matter of historic interest. (“Should Congress post Trump’s tax returns publicly? I don’t think so,” Opinion, Dec. 21)

What Goldberg fails to note is the former president is today a 2024 candidate, having declared last month. In his announcement, Trump made no mention of his long promise to release the tax returns, a practice followed by every president since Richard Nixon. The shrouding is understandable given the reported questionable deference the Internal Revenue Service gave Trump.

We can thank the House Ways and Means Committee for honoring its responsibility to demonstrate deficient IRS practices while also endorsing Goldberg’s call for Congress to codify tax transparency of all presidential candidates. We need to better assure that only those with a record of tax integrity without conflicts of interest hold the highest office in the land.

Bennett Ramberg, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I have never voted for Trump or his ilk and believe he has done far-reaching damage to our country. But all citizens’ tax returns have always rightly been treated as highly confidential by the IRS.

The House Ways and Means Committee had every right to internally review Trump’s returns to see if the IRS was properly following the requirement in effect since the Nixon administration that it promptly audit a president’s annual tax returns. (The IRS during the Trump administration apparently did not.)

But there is no legislative or oversight justification for publicly releasing Trump’s (or any other citizen’s) tax returns, particularly since Trump is out of office. If Trump wanted to make his returns public during his candidacy (he did not), that was his choice, which voters could evaluate.

It is simply bad policy for the IRS to publicly release any citizen’s returns. It also will undoubtedly be cause for political retaliation in the future.

Ken Goldman, Beverly Hills

The writer was an attorney in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Legislative Counsel.

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To the editor: I disagree with Goldberg about not going public with Trump’s tax returns.

Playing politics has nothing to do with it. The ways in which the very wealthy may be avoiding taxes have everything to do with it. Making the returns public is necessary to call attention to the holiday the IRS had while Trump was in office.

This also applies to the other millionaires and billionaires who have not been audited. We have a right to know how much more money the government can rightfully claim from Trump and others to be used for those who are really in need.

Frances Pin, Marina del Rey

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To the editor: One of your articles states, “Democrats argued in court that their interest in seeing Trump’s taxes was based on the need to craft legislation and that they would not simply release confidential information to the public.”

Whoever made that statement to the court should be charged with perjury. No one should be allowed to lie to a court of law and get away with it.

Jim Rueff, Fountain Valley