Donald Trump May Have Had 'Tens of Millions of Dollars' in Tax Write Offs

Donald Trump may have benefited from "tens of millions of dollars" in tax write offs that were "claimed without adequate substantiation," according to a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

On Tuesday the Democrat-controlled committee announced it will release the former president's tax returns within days, and said they had not been properly audited during his time in the White House.

A report into six years of Trump's tax affairs was also released by the committee, showing how his tax burden was reduced by claiming large annual losses.

Trump controversially refused to release his tax returns when running for the presidency in 2016, or during his time in the White House.

Appearing on CNN, Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Democratic member of the Ways and Means Committee, claimed there is a lack of "supporting data" to back up Trump's financial claims.

He said: "What I find surprising, our focus had been on the IRS audit and whether it was being done properly, as the IRS did no audits at all until such time as the day they received Mr. Neal's request for these documents, and that day they requested the first audit."

Doggett was referring it Richard Neal, the chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

"They have yet to complete a single audit of Mr Trump," Dogett continued. "I was also surprised by what's not there with the tax returns and that is supporting data. Any tax payer who goes in for audit has to produce some receipts, some affidavits and some substantiation, and that just seems to be missing from what we've been provided."

Doggett went on to suggest an ordinary citizen would have struggled to get their taxes audited if they provided as little information as Trump did.

He commented: "I think you will see tens of millions of dollars in these returns that were claimed without adequate substantiation.

"The extent to which the IRS made an effort to get that substantiation—I invite you to look at the reports, but I think you'll be surprised by how little there is and I have my doubts that another tax payer could go in to audit and provide as little evidence as was provided here and expect to have a completed audit."

On Twitter Bill Pascrell, Jr., another Democratic member of the committee, accused Trump of "lying" when he claimed he was under audit, and thus could not release his tax returns.

He wrote: "Tonight we learned the IRS failed to follow the law and did not audit donald trump for years. Oh yeah and trump was lying when he said he was under audit."

Responding to the allegations, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told CNN that Democrats are launching a political attack on the former president by releasing his tax returns.

Cheung said: "This unprecedented leak by lameduck Democrats is proof they are playing a political game they are losing.

"If this injustice can happen to President Trump, it can happen to all Americans without cause."

Newsweek has contacted the IRS and Donald Trump for comment.

On Monday the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress and other efforts to stop the 2020 presidential election being certified announced criminal referrals against Trump.

They are urging the Department of Justice to pursue four criminal charges against the former president, including abetting an insurrection.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and continues to claim, without credible evidence, that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged."