Donald Trump tweet about Barack Obama’s taxes resurfaces in wake of New York Times revelations
An eight-year-old tweet by Donald Trump complaining about Barack Obama's tax payments has resurfaced following revelations about the current President's own financial affairs.
Mr Trump broke precedent by not releasing his own taxes when he entered the White House in 2016. On Sunday the New York Times reported that the businessman paid no federal income tax in 2012, and only $750 (£600) in the year he was elected.
In 2011, Mr Obama paid $162,074 in federal taxes on gross income of $789,674, according to the return he released that year.
On Twitter in April 2012, Mr Trump wrote: "@BarackObama who wants to raise all our taxes, only pays 20.5% on $790k salary. Do as I say not as I do."
@BarackObama who wants to raise all our taxes, only pays 20.5% on $790k salary. http://t.co/bqF26mQf Do as I say not as I do.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
It came after the Los Angeles Times reported that Obama’s tax rate was slightly lower than average for people in his tier due to $172,130 in charitable donations that year.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump paid just $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017 - his first two years in office, according to the NYT.
He also paid nothing in ten our of the previous 15 years due to massive financial losses.
The newspaper noted at one point that 2014 marked four years in a row where Mr Trump paid nothing in federal income taxes.
This means he paid zero in 2011, the same year Obama paid $162,074 in federal taxes.
Mr Trump’s losses include $70,000 in hairstyling costs for “The Apprentice”, the NYT reported.
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