How will Trumpsters take it when they discover he's paid no taxes for years?

[skip fox]

He has survived, and even thrived, on making controversial statements and taking outrageous stands. But will the likely fact that he paid NO TAXES for years (possibly decades) turn a sizable percentage of his tax-paying supporters off? Or will it further turn them on????

The closer I look, the less I seem to know.

[NightWatcher]

2. They'll love him even more. He stuck it to that damned IRS

His supporters do not use common sense nor do they have traditional expectations from their politicians.

[onyourleft]

3. I don't believe...

...they will care. I really cannot think of one thing he could do that would turn his supporters against him. He has already started backing away from his plan for a wall and there has been no outcry from his camp.

[Feathery Scout]

4. They Will Be Proud

They are already pre-inoculating him from any blame, if that is the case.

Saying how smart he is. What a good business-man he is.

They are also shaking off the whole, he never gave to charity....saying his 'free trips' etc.... Are enough.

I mean, Trump is a 5-time military coward who has insulted POWs....and they still love him.

Even the Free Republic site, run by a military disabled vet, refuses to allow criticism of Trump on there. NOTHING will change these folks' minds.

Even if his tax returns show he isn't really a single billionaire (which I suspect), let alone, a 10x billionaire.....they will ignore and vote for him. It's a complete blindness. Pure anti-Hillary hate.

[MH1]

5. They'll love him all the more for "beating the game"

It's not like his followers have a high capacity for critical thinking.

That he scores so high in the polls is a horrible indictment of this country.

I wish I'd gotten my act together and moved to Europe when I was still young enough.

[gordianot]

6. This will confirm in their logic Trump is a genius negotiating such a deal.

They will flock to his candidacy as they flocked to his University. "I want to know-how he does it?"

[skip fox]

7. I tend to agree with everyone here, but wonder if

your observations apply to simply the core, or up to 50 percent, 80 percent, or all?

I cannot imagine it would apply to all, but then I have never seen a candidate for president with a popularity tsunami of such height in my lifetime.

[Katashi_itto]

8. Give him a +5 point increase

[Fumesucker]

9. Who here on DU would blame Trump for taking llegitimate deductions?

I've read enough of the tax threads by now to know that virtually everyone on DU takes every possible legitimate deduction on their taxes.

If Trump paid zero taxes it's not his fault, it's the fault of the politicians who put the ridiculous tax code in place, Trump was just doing what the vast majority of DUers do, take every deduction they legally can.

[skip fox]

10. I don't position my holdings in such a way

to avoid taxes. I have no problem paying 18% per year federal taxes and 2% per years state income taxes.


I have no doubt that Trump has paid his professions to contort his wealth in order to avoid taxes. Most of us with a straight income don't have that opportunity.

And I do think a percentage of voters who are leaning toward Trump will be turned off if they find he has paid none.

But you're right. This will be his supporters' argument.

[Fumesucker]

11. It's exactly the DU defense of the Clintons incorporating in Maryland for tax purposes

It's legal, everyone with big money does it.

[philosslayer]

12. He said he's audited every year by the IRS

If it was illegal, he'd be in jail.

[1939]

14. Real Estate

He is an "active" real estate investor as opposed to a "passive" real estate investor. He can have massive cash flow fom a building, let shows a loss because of depreciation. Lost of things may not make "economic sense" but make "tax sense". These types of things are embedded in the tax code and date back to FDR's time. They tried to reform some of them in 1986, but the tax code is still littered with them.

One of the tricks: A car dealer depreciates his building down to zero. He then sells his real estate at a profit and has LT cap gains rates on his profit plus the depreciation. He then leases it back from the REIT taking the rental costs as a charge against his income. The REIT then depreciates the building down to nothing and sells it back to the dealer paying LT cap gains rates. The dealer then begins the depreciation cycle all over again.

[sorefeet]

13. I always paid taxes

the least I could, but I never paid zero. I don't like the idea of me supporting a billionaires responsibility for his fair share. Because he has lobbied his way out of taxes. He is a tax dodgers hero.

[1939]

15. He didn't lobby for it

the IRS code allowing this dates back to the 1930s and he is just taking advantage of it. We need a "blank sheet" start at the IRS codes.

[sorefeet]

19. I would bet that over the years

Trump has spent plenty of money lobbying tax codes. You can bet he has taken advantage of every tax code since the beginning of taxes. He has an army of lawyers.

[Timmy5835]

16. You have to remember, to the Trump supporter....

This is not about the economy, immigration, or national defense, it's about justifying their racism and Trump is their man.

[skip fox]

17. Perhaps different supporters have different

"reasons"?

[Rex]

18. That is an endorsement among the type of people that would vote for Trump.

Many of them hate Regulators and never pay their taxes out of hatred for the system.

[Shandris]

20. "He's a smart businessman. If I could have done the same, I would have."

This isn't even hard to see. How is it a question?