Candidate Financial Disclosures

WHEREAS, the current President of th United States as of 2019 has not provided any personal financial disclosures to Congress or to the American public-at-large; and

WHEREAS, President Trump broke with decades of tradition for presidential candidates by refusing to release his income tax filings during his 2016 campaign. He has said he won't release them because he is being audited, even though IRS officials have said taxpayers under audit are free to release their returns. Trump claimed at a news conference following the November election that the filings arc too complex for people to understand; and

WHEREAS, President Trump was the first major party candidate since 1976 not to release his tax returns with the exception of Republican Gerald Ford. Ford lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976. He did not release his tax returns. Ford released only a summary of his tax data. This information is confirmed by an archive of presidential tax returns maintained by the Tax Analysts, a publisher specializing in tax policy; and

WHEREAS, candidates running for president (or any federal office), state-wide or county office should be required to detail their financial holdings, debt and sources of income so that the public can identify any conflicts of interest they may have; and

WHEREAS, federal law requires congressional candidates who raise or spend at least $5,000 to detail their assets and liabilities in a report to congressional ethics committees; and

WHEREAS, transparency and financial disclosures of political candidates is essential for voters to view to discern potential conflicts of interest.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports legislation stating "Anyone running for County, Statewide or Federal office must submit the last 10 years of Income tax and Financial Records. Failure to disclose the info shall deny the candidates name to be issued on the ballot."