House passes presidential tax audit bill after Donald Trump's evasions come to light
Washington DC - The House passed a new bill that would require presidential tax audits. The bill's passing follows the revelation that former President Donald Trump managed to evade audits during his presidency.
![The House passed a bill on Tuesday that would require presidents to undergo tax audits.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/m/j/mjowae42a4s8344juu2f6vrkw5pkg4c0.jpg)
According to The Hill, the new bill called the Presidential Tax Filings and Audit Transparency Act passed the House on Thursday in a 222-201 vote.
The new legislation would require the IRS to conduct an audit of a president's tax returns and the tax returns of a president's business ventures. It would also require the IRS to make an initial report regarding the audit publicly available within 90 days of filing.
The House Ways and Means Committee has been investigating Trump's tax history, something he failed to supply during his time on the campaign trail and as president, despite promising to do so.
A recent report revealed that the IRS did not audit Trump while he was in office in 2017 and 2018, even though the agency has a mandatory audit program in place for White House employees.
The report also found that Trump reportedly paid $0 in income taxes in 2020.
The policy of auditing presidents, which is outlined in the IRS' regulatory manual, has been around since 1977 but was never made into law.
Similarly, presidential candidates are not required to disclose their tax returns, but it has been an unspoken tradition for decades.
The new legislation would cement both as law. However, the bill is not expected to be taken up by the Senate before the new Congress is sworn in come January.
The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to release the full and final report on Donald Trump's tax returns to the public on Thursday.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / MediaPunch