For the past forty years, every major party nominee for president has voluntarily disclosed his or her tax returns – until the 2016 election. There is no law requiring candidates to disclose their tax returns, but every single nominee other than Donald Trump has followed this customary norm so that voters can have a clear understanding of the financial interests and possible entanglements of the men and women seeking our nation’s highest office.
The need to address presidential tax transparency has never been more clear. We can no longer count on tradition to ensure even basic transparency such as this. It is clear that there is overwhelming support for presidential tax transparency. In January of 2017, an ABC/ Washington Post poll found that 74 percent of Americans believe that presidential candidates should release their tax returns.
Bills have been introduced into both the Vermont House and Senate that would require presidential candidates to release their previous five years of tax returns in order to appear on the Vermont ballot. VPIRG supports these bills because Vermonters deserve basic transparency from our elected officials – especially those who seek our nation’s highest office.
Sign our petition telling Vermont lawmakers to require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns before appearing on the Vermont ballot.
Latest Elections & Government Reform News
Tools for Democracy Project
It’s Town Meeting Week, which means that civic energy is buzzing throughout Vermont. In communities all across the state, Vermonters are coming together to cast their votes, discuss important issues with neighbors and meet with local legislators as part of this longstanding democratic tradition. Vermont has a long history of vibrant civic culture and rigorous discourse ...
Read MoreGov. Scott Signs Ethics Reform Into Law
Today, Gov. Phil Scott signed into law S. 8, an ethics and government reform bill. So, what does the new law do? Addresses the revolving door by prohibiting legislators and executive officers from working as a lobbyist for one year after leaving office. Bans certain pay to play practices by prohibiting holders of large sole source state ...
Read MoreLegislative Update: Ethics Commission
Vermont is one of only three state without an ethics commission – and that’s a problem. By and large, our elected officials serve with honor and distinction. But with many Americans losing faith in government, Vermonters deserve to know that we can trust our elected officials to serve our state honestly and without the appearance ...
Read More“Pay-to-play” corruption must be addressed in VT
VPIRG is urging all candidates for public office in Vermont to support a ban on so-called pay-to-play activity related to state contracts. Recent controversies over related practices have involved members of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Lt. Gov. Phil Scott recently announced that he would sell his portion of his construction business if he is elected ...
Read MoreHighlights from a busy spring
It’s been a crazy few months here at VPIRG, with our advocates have been hard at work in the State House day after day and our team of field organizers doing an incredible job hitting the phones, organizing events, meeting with activists, and having the face-to-face conversations that truly drive our work. Here are just a ...
Read MoreVT becomes fourth state to enact automatic voter registration
Governor Peter Shumlin signed H.458 into law Thursday, making Vermont the fourth state in the country to enact automatic voter registration. The new law will essentially flip voter registration procedures at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Under current law, the DMV requires Vermonters to “opt in” to voter registration. But beginning in July 2017, Vermonters who ...
Read MoreVT Senate approves changes to public financing of campaigns
The Vermont Senate voted 19-6 in favor of S. 220, an act related to the public financing of campaigns, and sent it to the House for consideration. The bill makes improvements in our current law by allowing publicly financed candidates to run more competitive campaigns. Public financing of campaigns is a crucial step towards countering the influence ...
Read MoreEVENT: Democracy Awakening, April 16-18
Our democracy was founded on the principle of “one person, one vote”, but it’s no secret that many Americans feel their vote doesn’t count. From the overwhelming influence of big money in politics to restrictive voting laws, barriers are disempowering Americans and pushing us away from participating in the political process. The result is a ...
Read More