Trump's tax avoidance: Most Americans call it 'unpatriotic': Poll

October 05, 2016 04:25

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says paying no income tax would make him "smart." While nearly half of Americans agree with him, more people think it is "selfish," and "unpatriotic," according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday.

Some 67 percent of Americans said it is "selfish" for a presidential candidate to pay no taxes, while 61 percent said it is "unpatriotic," according to the poll, which allowed respondents to pick more than one adjective to describe paying no taxes.

At the same time, the results showed some respect for a candidate who can figure out how to reduce their tax bill. Some 46 percent of Americans, including 35 percent of Democrats and 62 percent of Republicans, thought a presidential candidate who pays no taxes is "smart."

Trump's taxes have become a big campaign issue after the New York Times released a portion of his 1995 tax returns last week and estimated that Trump likely paid no taxes for a number of years. The celebrity real estate developer, who is the first presidential candidate in decades to refuse to release his full tax returns, didn't deny the report. He later said that he had "brilliantly used" US tax rules to his advantage.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Congress's Amethi office attacked, cars vandalised

Congress district president Pradeep Singhal alleged that the incident was the result of state police's indifference.

Golden Beauty Shilpa Shetty

She glowed on the Times Fashion Week ramp.

Scenes From Disha's Bikini Holiday

With temperatures rising in Mumbai, Disha Patani finds her own way to keep her body cool.

Have You Heard About Timeboxing?

Why timebox? Most knowledge workers feel overburdened. Like The Joker in the Batman movies, we have all, at one point or the other, muttered to ourselves: 'So much to do, so little time.'

Adani, Tata eye bigger pie in Mumbai power distribution

As Mumbai's real estate and electric vehicle penetration grows, two of the city's private power distribution companies, Adani Electricity and Tata Power, are eyeing a bigger business pie, particularly betting on high-value customers....