Opposite to common belief, the rising U.S political candidate and business tycoon Mr. Donald Trump was not a brilliant candidate at manipulating the tax system as he had previously claimed. This information hasn't been given out by any ordinary person, but his former accountant!
This week the New York Times revealed that the infamous Republican presidential nominee, Mr. Trump had reported losses of over $916 million over his income tax returns of 1995. According to experts, it was this particular move that gave him the freedom to evade federal income tax for nearly two decades to come.
In the wake of this information disclosure, Donald Trump defended himself as usual by saying that he knows more about the tax system than anyone else. Subsequently, he claims that he has the kind of astute personality that could brilliantly manipulate the tax system, minimizing his cash outflow as much as legally required.
High profile Trump followers do label him as a smart and ingenious business icon when it comes to using tax laws to his own advantage. However, his own former accountant Mr. Jack Mitnick who handled Trump's 1995 tax-return blatantly disagreed.
When asked his opinion regarding Donald's "brilliance" in how he handled federal taxes, CNN cites his answer: "Not when I dealt with him. No, those returns were entirely created by us. I did all the tax preparation. I'm the one who did all the work." He further added that as far as filing the tax return is concerned, Mr. Trump's participation was "virtually zero".
Regarding the massive political campaign of his former client, Mr. Mitnick seemed hesitant to offer a ringing endorsement and cast a vote to Trump. His comments were uncovered during the vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence, the Republican governor of Indiana, and Tim Kaine, the Democratic Virginian senator.
Given the difference in opinions regarding Mr. Trump's wit, we cannot yet certainly say about his adeptness. He may have outsmarted the system according to his own sayings, but then again when has he ever said "I could've done better" or "Let's learn together". In contrast he has been reported arrogant statements such as "I've never made mistakes in life" which may satisfy the overly excited audience. However, in reality these statements fall short of objective truth, practicality and most importantly, honesty.
