Amidst Second Refusal By Trump, Hoylman Urges Passage of Legislation to Provide New York State Tax Returns to Requesting Congressional Committees
April 23, 2019
Bill has 33 Senate co-sponsors with the backing of Senate leadership, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler
ALBANY-- Senator Brad Hoylman’s (D/WF-Manhattan) released the following statement in response to the U.S. Treasury Department’s failure to comply with the deadline set by the House Ways & Means Committee to release six years of President Donald Trump’s tax returns pursuant to federal law. Hoylman is the sponsor of legislation (S.5072) to authorize the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to share state tax return information with a requesting Congressional committee. It has received the backing of Senate leadership and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, strengthening the legislative effort to support Congress in the lawful exercise of its oversight responsibilities.
Senator Hoylman said: “By refusing to comply with the second request by the House Ways & Means Committee to turn over six years of his tax returns, Donald Trump is defying federal law. This is nothing short of a constitutional crisis—but it is one that New York State can help avert. Washington has failed to give the American people the accountability they deserve. Now it’s time for New York to take the lead.”
House Ways & Means Chair Richard Neal formally requested President Trump’s federal tax returns earlier this month, setting an initial deadline of April 10. Today, April 23 is the final day for President Trump to comply with the second request. Earlier today, a White House official indicated that he does not intend to do so.
Federal law gives three Congressional tax committees the power to obtain, inspect, and disclose the otherwise confidential federal tax information of any taxpayer from the U.S. Department of Treasury. Under New York State tax law, sharing state tax return information is prohibited, except under certain delineated circumstances. Senator Hoylman’s new bill would create a new exception to this rule and authorize the sharing of state tax returns with a requesting Congressional committee when the request is made in the furtherance of a legitimate legislative purpose.
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