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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Harriet Agerholm

The time Donald Trump attacked a billionaire for not paying enough tax

After a damning document leak suggesting Donald Trump may not have paid any federal tax for almost two decades, examples have surfaced of the tycoon criticising others for not paying their fair share.

The publication of the Republican nominee's 1995 tax return has shaken his campaign for President to the core – just weeks before the US election on 8 November.

While Mr Trump's allies have called his apparent ability to exploit a tax loophole "genius", others have been less than impressed - and the polls have reflected this.

And now many of the billionaire's past pronouncement's about tax have resurfaced. Among the many people to incur his wrath is Eduardo Saverin, the billionaire co-founder of Facebook:

Mr Trump is keen for everyone to know he has paid a lot of tax:

 

A lot more of it than you do:

 

In fact, he has criticised half the population:

 

And has accused Mitt Romney of embarrassing himself:

 

Barack Obama apparently set a bad example by not paying enough of it:

 

He also thinks he wasted a lot of it:

 

Amazon is only succeeding because it does not pay its fair share of it:

 

Very rich people should pay more of it:

 

Ms Clinton's campaign seized on the report that showed losses Mr Trump made the "colossal" loss of $916 million in 1995, calling it a "bombshell".

According to tax experts, Mr Trump’s $916 million loss would have allowed him to cancel out an equivalent amount to taxable income until 2013.

Mr Trump did not deny that he had not paid the taxes for 18 years, but instead claimed it was his "fiduciary responsibility" to pay as little tax as possible.

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