Donald Trump's Tax Returns to Be Released by Congress, Sources Say

Congress will be making the tax returns of former U.S. President Donald Trump public, according to sources familiar with the matter.

One spokesperson for the U.S. House of Representatives ways and means committee confirmed the release on Friday.

Trump refused to release his tax returns when he ran for office in 2016, breaking presidential precedents by keeping the documents out of the public eye.

The House committee released a report finding last week showing that the Internal Revenue Service broke its own rules by declining to audit Trump for three of the four years of his presidency.

Trump earlier claimed that he could not release his public tax returns as his filings were under an ongoing IRS review.

The House committee's report also criticized IRS for auditing lower-income people more often as compared to the rich.

Trump's tax returns covering years 2015 and 2021 will be released, including the years he ran and served as the U.S. president. He was the first U.S. president to refuse to release his tax returns during either of his campaigns.

At one point, Trump bragged in a presidential debate that he was "smart" as he paid no federal taxes.

Donald Trump Tax Returns

The report revealed that the former president declared negative income in the years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2020.

In addition, it also showed that he paid a total of $1,500 in income taxes for the years 2016 and 2017.

Trump and his wife Melania Trump also paid no federal income taxes and claimed a refund of $5.47 million, according to the report.

The highlights of the report mainly include Trump and Melania declaring negative income of $31.7 million on their 2015 federal return, with taxable income of $0.

The two also paid federal income taxes of $641,931.

In 2020, the Trumps declared a negative income of $4.69 million, with zero dollars in taxable income.

They also claimed a refund of $5.47 million.

Probes on Donald Trump

The House Jan. 6 panel is providing records to the Department of Justice as it conducts its probes involving the former president.

The announced collaboration was revealed a day after lawmakers on the Jan. 6 panel voted unanimously to refer Trump to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.

Special Counsel Jack Smith has also started receiving documents and transcripts in the earlier weeks.

Smith requested in a December 5 letter to the Jan. 6 panel to share all the materials it gathered in its 18-month investigation.

The House committee referred Trump to the DOJ for multiple crimes such as conspiracy to defraud the government and inciting or assisting an insurrection.

Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren earlier announced that they already provided DOJ with the transcripts.

Meanwhile, the special counsel is also tasked with probing possible violations concerning the former president removing hundreds of documents from the White House, some of which were recovered from his Mar-a-Lago home.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Donald Trump's tax returns are expected to be released this week - from KENS 5: Your San Antonio News Source