‘I can’t use TurboTax!’ Mike Bloomberg says he WILL publish ‘thousands of pages’ of tax returns and says, YES, I deserve my $61 billion because ‘I worked very hard for it’
- Mike Bloomberg said he would be releasing his tax returns and cited the delay on his immense wealth
- ‘I make a lot of money and we do business all around the world … I can’t go to TurboTax,’ the former New York City mayor explained
- Bloomberg, who made his debut on the Democratic debate stage Wednesday night, said billionaires like him should be able to exist in the U.S.
- ‘Yes,’ he answered when asked the question. ‘I worked very hard for it,’ Bloomberg said
Mike Bloomberg said he will release his tax returns – it’s just taking a long time thanks to his tremendous wealth, which he also told a crowd of Democratic voters that he deserves.
‘I make a lot of money and we do business all around the world and we are preparing – the number of pages will probably be thousands of pages, I can’t go to TurboTax,’ Bloomberg said.
When asked if he, as someone who is worth approximately $61 billion, should exist, the former New York City mayor answered in the affirmative.
‘Yes,’ he answered point-blank. ‘I worked very hard for it.’
With Bernie Sanders leading the charge, the Democratic presidential hopefuls took on Bloomberg during his debate debut, especially over his enormous wealth, with the Vermont senator charging that American tax policy pushed by rich political donors allowed billionaires like the ex-mayor to balloon their coffers while others are living on the streets.
‘I can’t speak for all billionaires, all I know is I’ve been very lucky, made a lot of money and I’m giving it all away to make this country better,’ Bloomberg said. ‘A good chunk of it goes to the Democratic Party as well,’ the debate stage newcomer added.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he deserves his tens of billions in wealth and will be putting out his tax returns
Michael Bloomberg (left) was the new candidate on the stage at Wednesday night’s Democratic debate – and got hammered by the other hopefuls
Bloomberg was asked about his tax returns during a portion of the Las Vegas Democratic debates where the candidates were calling each other out for lacking transparency in various ways.
‘It just takes a long time,’ Bloomberg said when the subject veered from Bernie Sanders’ health records to the billionaire candidate’s taxes.
Bloomberg pointed out that he had a history of releasing his returns, having served three terms as the mayor of New York City.
‘I put out my tax return every year for 12 years in City Hall, we will put out this one,’ Bloomberg said. ‘It will tell everybody everything they need to know about every investment that I make and where the money goes.’
He then made the point that the bulk of his wealth goes to charity.
‘The biggest item is all the money I give away,’ Bloomberg said. ‘We list that, every single donation I make. You can get that from our foundation any time you want.’
Bloomberg’s debut on the debate stage played out like a game of whack-a-mole, with Bloomberg, the former Republican billionaire mayor, as the sole mole.
‘I’d like to talk about who we’re running against, a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg,’ said Elizabeth Warren in her opening salvo.
It was Amy Klobuchar who hammered him over tax returns.
‘I’m just looking at my husband in the front row that has to do our taxes all the time,’ she said. ‘We probably could go to TurboTax.’
‘The point of this is I believe in transparency,’ the Minnesota senator went on.
She pointed out that all the other Democratic candidates had already released their returns.
Bloomberg was the last of the major candidates to enter the race, making his announcement in late November 2019.
‘It is a major issue because the president of the United States has been hiding behind his tax returns even when courts order him to come forward with those tax returns,’ she said.
She then turned from President Trump back to Bloomberg.
‘I don’t care how much money anyone has,’ Klobuchar said. ‘I think it’s great you’ve got a lot of money, but I think you’ve got to come forward with your tax returns.’