California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill requiring presidential and gubernatorial candidates to release their tax returns in order for their names to appear on the state’s primary ballot.
The new California law will likely force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns. The President has been refusing to release his tax returns citing the reason that he is under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
SB 27 will “shed light on conflicts of interest”
On Tuesday, Gov. Newsom said California has the “constitutional right” to implement SB 27, the Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act. Under the bill, presidential and gubernatorial candidates must release their tax returns over the past five years.
“As one of the largest economies in the world and home to one in nine Americans eligible to vote, California has a special responsibility to require this information of presidential and gubernatorial candidates,” said the Governor.
In addition, Gov. Newsom stressed, “These are extraordinary times and states have a legal and moral duty to do everything in their power to ensure leaders seeking the highest offices meet minimal standards, and to restore public confidence. The disclosure required by this bill will shed light on conflicts of interest, self-dealing, or influence from domestic and foreign business interest.”
