2016 AdWatch: on Tax Reform


Donald Trump: OpEd AdWatch: Trump more liberal on taxes than Democrats

A lawyer for Donald Trump fired off a letter to the conservative Club for Growth threatening a `multi-million dollar lawsuit` if the group does not pull its TV ad claiming Trump `supports higher taxes.` Trump's lawyer says the claim is false & libelous. Club for Growth Action, the super PAC of the anti-tax group, says it is merely exposing Trump's `very liberal` record. So who is right?

The ad, called `Politician,` begins by showing images of Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton and asks which presidential candidate supports higher taxes. `It's Donald Trump,` the narrator says.

Asked for backup, the Club for Growth referred us to a Feb. 15, 2000, article in The Advocate in which Trump states, `My plan to impose a onetime net worth tax of 14.25% on the super-wealthy, when combined with our current projected surpluses, will raise enough to pay off the national debt.` But Trump isn't advocating anything like that in 2015.

Source: FactCheck.org AdWatch on 2016 presidential hopefuls Sep 25, 2015

Donald Trump: FactCheck: Proposed 14% tax on wealthy in 2000, but not now

A Club for Growth attack ad says that in 2000, Trump stated, `My plan to impose a onetime net worth tax of 14.25% on the super-wealthy, when combined with our current projected surpluses, will raise enough to pay off the national debt.` At that time, Trump was mulling a presidential bid, and in a formal statement in November 1999 that laid out his plan, Trump did, in fact, propose a one-time 14.25% tax on people and trusts with a net worth of over $10 million (minus the value of their principal residence). The revenue it generated, he said, would be used to pay off the debt, then $5.7 trillion, to give a middle-class tax cut and to shore up the Social Security trust fund.

But Trump isn't advocating anything like that in 2015. On Aug. 18, Trump said he would not propose changes that increase the net amount of taxes. But he also stopped short of agreeing to sign the Americans for Tax Reform pledge against raising taxes because `I may want to switch taxes around.`

Source: FactCheck.org AdWatch on 2016 presidential hopefuls Sep 25, 2015

Donald Trump: No net increase in taxes, but increases on wealthy

On Aug. 18, Trump said he would not propose changes that increase the net amount of taxes. But he also stopped short of agreeing to sign the Americans for Tax Reform pledge against raising taxes because `I may want to switch taxes around.` Specifically, Trump has repeatedly said that he would lower taxes for the middle class and would raise taxes on `carried interest` earned by hedge fund managers.

In an Aug. 26 interview, the host noted that `carried interest` would affect not only hedge fund managers, but also people in limited real estate partnerships like Trump, asking `So you are proposing you'd like to raise taxes on yourself?`

`That's right. I'm OK with it,` Trump said. `You've seen my statements, I do very well, I don't mind paying some taxes. The middle class is getting clobbered in this country. I know people in hedge funds, they pay almost nothing and it's ridiculous, OK?` Some interpreted those remarks as Trump agreeing to raise taxes on the wealthy.

Source: FactCheck.org AdWatch on 2016 presidential hopefuls Sep 25, 2015

  • The above quotations are from AdWatch: transcripts from 2016 presidential, gubernatorial, and Senate campaigns.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Tax Reform.
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2016 Presidential contenders on Tax Reform:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018