Republican candidate Donald Trump's tax history is "nothing unusual" in the business world, according to respondents to a new survey from Rasmussen Reports.
The recent revelation that Trump claimed a $916 million loss on his personal income taxes in 1995 sparked controversy over whether Trump was able to avoid paying federal income tax for almost 20 years.
"She complains about how I've used tax laws of this country to my benefit. Then I ask a simple question: Why didn't she ever try to change those laws so I couldn't use them?" Trump said at a rally on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.
Although Rasmussen didn't ask directly about Trump, they did ask if businessmen "try to pay as little as possible" when paying taxes. Those polled said:
- Agree: 83 percent;
- Disagree: 12 percent;
- Not sure: 5 percent.
Respondents were then asked which was more important to them when voting: the amount of taxes a candidate paid or the policies they support.
- Policies: 85 percent;
- Taxes: 7 percent;
- Not sure: 8 percent.
"I mean, honestly, I have brilliantly — I have brilliantly used those laws," Trump said on Monday while in Pueblo, Colo. for a campaign event, according to The Post. "I was able to use the tax laws of this country, and my business acumen, to dig out of the real estate mess — you would call it a depression — when few others were able to do what I did."
Rasmussen Reports polled 1,000 likely voters from Oct. 4 to 5, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.