Thousands of people turned out for a march through midtown Manhattan on Saturday to demand that US President Donald Trump release his tax returns and to dispute his claim that the public does not care about the issue.
Organizers of New York’s “Tax March”, one of more than 150 across the country and beyond, want to call attention to Trump’s refusal to disclose his tax history, as his White House predecessors have done for more than 40 years, France24 reported.
In addition to major US cities, including Washington and Los Angeles, marches are planned in Europe, Japan and New Zealand.
The Manhattan march began with a rally at Bryant Park, drawing a good-natured crowd estimated by a Reuters reporter to be about 5,000, although no official estimates were immediately available. The procession up Sixth Avenue was due to disperse at Central Park.
Critics have raised questions about what Trump’s tax returns say about his net worth and various business ties.
As a candidate and as president, Trump has steadfastly refused to release his tax returns, citing an ongoing audit by the Internal Revenue Service. In September, he told ABC News, “I don’t think anybody cares, except some members of the press.”
The IRS has said Trump can release his tax returns even while under audit.
The Trump tax marches were launched by a single tweet, organizers said. A day after the massive January 21 women’s march in Washington and other cities, comedy writer Frank Lesser tapped out on Twitter, “Trump claims no one cares about his taxes. The next mass protest should be on Tax Day to prove him wrong.” It has been re-tweeted more than 21,000 times.
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