Res. No. 39
Title
Resolution calling upon the State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign S.26/A.4072, also known as, "the Tax Returns Uniformly Made Public Act," which would amend State election law to require presidential candidates to submit a copy of their federal tax returns as a condition of access to the state's official ballot in the general election.
Body
By Council Members Cohen, Brannan and Maisel
Whereas, For several decades, every major presidential candidate has made their recent tax returns available to the public; and
Whereas, The public disclosure of a presidential candidate's tax returns is an act of good faith and transparency that the American electorate has come to expect; and
Whereas, Tax returns contain vital information that can be instructive to the public, such as whether the candidate paid their fair share of taxes, made charitable contributions, took advantage of tax loopholes or kept money offshore; and
Whereas, A presidential candidate's tax returns also offer information on how that candidate's wealth was obtained and may highlight potential conflicts of interest; and
Whereas, In 2016, presidential candidate and now President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, became the first presidential candidate in decades to withhold his tax returns from the public, despite pressure from the media and other candidates for him to do so; and
Whereas, In contrast, the Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Rodham Clinton, released nine years of her tax returns to the public; and
Whereas, While Mr. Trump has not made his tax returns public, information has recently surfaced that has generated concern; and
Whereas, A partial copy of Mr. Trump's 1995 tax return was leaked to the New York Times showing a nearly $916 million net operating loss, which according to some estimates, might have enabled Mr. Trump to not pay income taxes for as many as 18 years; and
Whereas, Furthermore, according to news repor...
Click here for full text