How Trump Withholding His Tax Return is Affecting Tax Reform

Since his campaign, President Trump has refused to release his tax return documents to the public. He is the first president in four decades to not release those documents. By doing this, most of us have assumed that the (hard-hitting and nonstop) criticism he's receiving for not releasing those documents is more tolerable than the criticism he'd receive for whatever is actually on those documents. So what does this have to do with the new tax reform policy?

Well, this lasting criticism has undermined the unity of the Republican party and jeopardized their chances of successfully passing a tax reform. Democrats have used this dilemma as their main argument for voting against whatever tax reform the Republicans are going to have drawn up. Trump's complete unwillingness to release his tax documents puts the Republicans in a bind. Republicans want to talk openly about the bill they've planned and why the American people should get behind it - but they will not be able to do this without revealing how their own President would be affected by it. The goal of the Republican party regarding tax reform is to make a big tax cut, regardless of how big of a repair the reform is for the system, and this will be difficult with a strong opposing argument from the Democrats.

Trump withholding his personal taxes offers the Democrats a way to create a great debate - one that captures the attentions of many. The longer he withholds them, the more attention he draws and the more important each politician's vote for the tax reform bill becomes. With this ongoing dilemma, it's going to be difficult to find a solution that pleases one side. I believe that our President should absolutely release his tax documents to the public, no matter what the consequences to follow are. We cannot build a tax reform bill that Americans are supposed to abide by if our President doesn't do the same. I definitely anticipate the release (or the further withholding) of these documents.