Senator Urges White House To Release Alito Tax Returns

by Leroy Baker, Tax-News.com, New York

26 January 2006

Sen. Max Baucus (D - Montana), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, has called upon the White House to live up to President Bush's remarks to small business leaders that public officials’ tax returns should be public to promote a high level of integrity in office.

In the past year, Baucus has repeatedly requested that the Administration provide the Federal tax returns of Supreme Court nominees – including Judge Samuel Alito – for an independent review, as a measure of the nominees’ integrity and fitness for the High Court.

In a meeting with Baucus last week, Alito, whose nomination was accepted in a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, said he would be willing to provide his tax returns for review, but the White House refused to allow it.

Baucus says that his requests, and legislation he subsequently introduced to compel a review of all Supreme Court nominees’ returns, did not even require the returns to be made public as the President has now advocated for public officials.

“The President is right when he says that the release of public officials’ tax returns contributes to the integrity of our whole tax system, and his White House is wrong to keep withholding information on Judge Alito,” said Baucus.

“The way nominees fill out their tax returns is an excellent barometer of personal integrity and of their willingness to faithfully fulfil the most basic Federal duties. That’s why the Finance Committee reviews the returns of all nominees that come before our panel. If the President advocates the review of tax returns for himself and other public officials, I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t make it the rule for his Supreme Court nominees," he added.

The Baucus legislation would require the Joint Committee on Taxation to obtain and inspect three years’ worth of tax returns for a Supreme Court nominee, and to report to the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees on the nominee’s compliance with Federal tax law.

The Senate Finance Committee scrutinizes the tax returns of all nominees seeking confirmation before the panel, including Cabinet secretaries and tax court judges. The Senate has also reviewed Supreme Court nominees’ tax returns in the past.

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