@ISIDEWITHQuestionselectionsStarted 8yrs agoActive 6 days ago

Should political candidates be required to release their recent tax returns to the public?

A tax return is a document which states how much income an individual or entity reported to the government. In the U.S. there is no legal requirement of any kind that presidential candidates release tax returns from any year. Tax returns can be released by an individual taxpayer, but cannot released by the IRS to the public. However, one Senator has proposed legislation requiring presidential candidates to release tax returns. In 2016 a U.S. Senator proposed the Presidential Tax Transparency Act. The bill would require a presidential candidate to release the most recent three years of tax returns to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) within 15 days of becoming the nominee at the party convention. If the candidate refuses to comply, the Treasury Secretary would provide the tax returns directly to the FEC for public release.

+
Expand
+ Settings x  Kings (New York)

Toggle voterbase

Statistics are shown for this demographic

Answer Overview

Response rates from 12.8k Kings voters.

75%
Yes
25%
No
74%
Yes
24%
No
0%
Yes, and require a public audit each year they are in office
1%
No, I would respect them more if they did but they shouldn’t be required to
0%
Yes, and also required to release their medical records
0%
No, tax returns have nothing to do with their ability to perform their duties
0%
No, their income is none of our business

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 12.8k Kings voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 12.8k Kings voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Kings voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @8JSC4QS from Kansas  answered…4yrs4Y

It is their own choice to do so

 @94N2NJX from Georgia  answered…2yrs2Y

No, abolish income taxes

 @5D4428Gfrom California  answered…4yrs4Y

Should have to submit taxes, birth certificate, and have a mental exam also

 @9D6JRC6 from Minnesota  answered…1yr1Y

No, but require a public audit every year they are in office.

 @5DTVT6Xfrom Alabama  answered…4yrs4Y

I know money plays a crucial role in elections but if the citizens in this country would wake up, then the candidates running would be held accountable for their own "integrity". It is embarrassing what goes on. Both sides think they have all the answers. Personally most politician are megalomaniacs and it is more of a dirty game than any real ability to do anything. The world is a "nutter" we are just along for the ride. People are so shallow about it all. Oh this one is best if you don't agree I am going to chew you up and spit you out. Well...I am going to be like…  Read more

 @5D3BY6Rfrom Ohio  answered…4yrs4Y

Yes. Once you run for office your life is an open book

 @9WRDK3J from Colorado  answered…2mos2MO

No, but they should still be held liable the same as any standard citizen if found guilty of any crime such as tax evasion or tax fraud.

 @9KVQHTP  from Florida  answered…9mos9MO

Yes, and also required to release their medical record and require a public audit each year they are in office

Popular Conversations

Join in on the most popular conversations.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…3wks3W

Gallup Poll Bombshell: Over Half of Ukrainians Ready for Peace

More than half of Ukrainians want talks to end the war with Russia, according to the latest Gallup polls released on Tuesday, the war’s 1,000th day. The surveys, conducted in August and October, found that 52 percent of Ukrainians want their nation to negotiate an end to the war in Eastern Europe that has been raging for over two-and-half years. Almost four in 10 Ukrainians, 38 percent, want their military to keep fighting until it wins the war. Some 9 percent did not know or refused to share their opinion on the matter. The outlook of the Ukrainians is different from the period when the invasion began in February 2022. Just months after Russia’s invasion kicked off, around 73 percent of Ukrainians wanted to keep fighting. The support for continued fighting dropped among Ukrainians in 2023 when 63 percent wanted the conflict to continue while 27 percent preferred a negotiated peace, according to the survey. The poll comes as Ukraine fired U.S.-made long-range missiles inside Russia for the first time since the restriction was reportedly lifted by the Biden administration. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The support for continuing the war has dropped among Ukrainians across the country, dipping to below 50 percent throughout the nation this year, Gallup noted. The biggest declines were in regions that are far from the front lines. Over half of Ukrainians, 52 percent, agree that Kyiv should be open to making some territorial concessions as part of a cease-fire, according to the poll. Around 38 percent disagreed while another 10 percent did not know.

▲  197 replies

Active 3mins ago

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…3 days3D

Israel Sinks Syria's Navy

Israel said Tuesday that it had destroyed Syria’s navy in overnight airstrikes, as it continued to pound targets in Syria despite warnings that its operations there could ignite new conflict and jeopardize the transition of power to an interim government.Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said that the Israeli military had “destroyed Syria’s navy overnight, and with great success.” His remarks appeared to confirm Israel’s responsibility for the destruction documented in the Syrian port city of Latakia, where photos showed the smoldering remains of ships sunk at their dock.Mr. Katz said that Israel’s military “has been operating in Syria in recent days to hit and destroy strategic capabilities that pose a threat to Israel,” although he did not indicate what new or immediate risk Syria’s navy presented to Israel, which has the most powerful military in the Middle East.Israeli warplanes have conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, according to war monitors. Israel has characterized its operations as defensive, saying its military was striking suspected chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling “into the hands of extremists.”“From here, I warn the rebel leaders in Syria: Those who follow Assad’s path will end like Assad,” Mr. Katz said.As the Assad government fell to the rebels over the weekend, Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border, marking their first overt entry into Syrian territory in more than 50 years. An Israeli military spokesman on Tuesday denied reports that the military was advancing on Damascus. The spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said the military was inside a buffer zone between Israel and Syria and at other points “in order to protect the Israeli border.”Earlier Tuesday, Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, called on Israel to halt its “very troubling” military operations there, and said de-escalation was needed. “We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory. This needs to stop,” Mr. Pedersen told reporters in Geneva.

▲  1512 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2 days2D

Border Bombshell: 8 Million New Arrivals Under Biden

The immigration surge of the past few years has been the largest in U.S. history, surpassing the great immigration boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s, according to a New York Times analysis of government data.Annual net migration — the number of people coming to the country minus the number leaving — averaged 2.4 million people from 2021 to 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Total net migration during the Biden administration is likely to exceed eight million people.That’s a faster pace of arrivals than during any other period on record, including the peak years of Ellis Island traffic, when millions of Europeans came to the United States. Even after taking into account today’s larger U.S. population, the recent surge is the most rapid since at least 1850.The numbers in the Times analysis include both legal and illegal immigration. About 60 percent of immigrants who have entered the country since 2021 have done so without legal authorization, according to a Goldman Sachs report based on government data.The combined increases of legal and illegal immigration have caused the share of the U.S. population born in another country to reach a new high, 15.2 percent in 2023, up from 13.6 percent in 2020. The previous high was 14.8 percent, in 1890.Several factors caused the surge, starting with President Biden’s welcoming immigration policy during his first three years in office. Offended by Donald J. Trump’s harsh policies — including the separation of families at the border — Mr. Biden and other Democrats promised a different approach. “We’re a nation that says, ‘If you want to flee, and you’re fleeing oppression, you should come,’” Mr. Biden said during his 2020 presidential campaign.After taking office, his administration loosened the rules on asylum and other immigration policies, making it easier for people to enter the United States. Some have received temporary legal status while their cases wend through backlogged immigration courts. Others have remained without legal permission.

▲  1512 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…1 day1D

Pete Hegseth Slams Gay Troops Policy

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, has repeatedly criticized policies allowing gay people to serve openly in the US military, calling them part of a “Marxist” agenda to prioritize social justice over combat readiness.In his 2024 book “The War on Warriors” and in subsequent media promotions this year, Hegseth described both the original “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy and its repeal in 2011 as a “gateway” and a “camouflage” for broader cultural changes that he claims have undermined military cohesion and effectiveness.In a 2015 appearance on Fox News, Hegseth also argued these policies like repealing DADT “erode standards” in favor of political goals like social engineering.DADT was implemented under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s and allowed gay people and lesbians to serve in the military — provided they did not disclose their sexuality. Military officials were also barred from asking military members their sexual orientation. If a troop’s orientation came to light, it could lead to their discharge.The policy was repealed during the Obama administration, allowing openly gay service members.Hegseth writes in his book that he was initially ambivalent to the change but came to regret his passive stance, describing the repeal as a “breach in the wire” that opened the door for broader cultural and ideological changes in the military.On Thursday, Hegseth appeared to walk back his earlier remarks about DADT, telling CNN, “Oppose the repeal? No, I don’t,” and calling this report on his previous comments “more false reporting.”

▲  1810 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…1 day1D

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

▲  1614 replies