After debating for several hours, a Congressional Committee voted on Tuesday to publicly release the tax returns of former Republican President Donald Trump, in proceedings likely to spark a political row.
The House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats whose committee moved to release documents, which Trump for years has fought to keep private.
24 voted in favour and 16 voted against publicly unveiling the former President's tax returns between 2015 and 2020.
The Committee's decision comes after a long battle which ended up with the Supreme Court ruling that the treasury department could send the documents to Congress at the end of November. So far only a handful of elected officials have read them.
When Trump ran for president in 2016, he broke with years of convention by refusing to publicly release his tax forms. He boasted that he was "smart" during one presidential debate for not paying taxes and later asserted that he personally wouldn't benefit from tax cuts that he signed in 2017 which favoured wealthy people, demanding that citizens believe him without proof.
Business genius?
Trump's lack of transparency has ignited debate on the extent of his wealth and possible conflicts of interest. Tax records could have been a useful measure to judge his success in the business world, as Trump in 2016 claimed he would run the country like his business. Tax records could also reveal financial obligations that could have an impact on his presidency.
The New York Times previously published large portions of Trump's tax returns which showed that the real estate tycoon had financially taken heavy hits as well as dodged federal taxes.
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The reality TV star's family business, the Trump Organization, were in early December found guilty of criminal tax fraud after a trial in New York. The former president and his family were not charged in the case.
Republicans have raged against the potential release of Trump's tax returns. Congressman Kevin Brady of Texas said that "thanks to Democrats & #Biden, Congress now has nearly unlimited power to target political enemies by obtaining & making public private tax returns – to destroy opponents."
