California passes bill forcing presidential candidates to release tax returns

The bill, called a ‘political stunt’ by Republicans, would still need to be signed by the governor to become law

Under Senate Bill 149, California could only clear candidates to appear on the ballot if they’ve revealed their tax information to the public (Reuters)

Presidential candidates will be required to release their tax return before they are allowed to run in California.

The bill, called the Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act, has now been sent to the state's governor Jerry Brown for his signature.

In passing the measure, the Democrat-controlled legislature again demonstrated its status as a bastion of opposition to Donald Trump. Breaking with tradition for presidential contenders, Mr Trump declined to release his full tax returns before he was elected, despite concerns that his sprawling business empire could present a conflict with his public duties.

Under Senate Bill 149, California could only clear candidates to appear on the ballot if they’ve revealed their tax information to the public. The elected official who would oversee the process, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, backed the measure and has been a vocal critic of Mr Trump, strongly criticising his baseless claims that millions of people voted illegally during the 2016 election.

“Forty years of Democrats and Republicans alike have release their tax returns, and it’s time California holds this president and all future presidents accountable”, Senator Mike McGuire said on the Senate floor, noting that the presidency and the vice presidency are the only offices not subject to conflict of interest laws.

The bill cleared both houses of the Legislature on a largely party-line vote, with Republicans calling the measure a political stunt.

To become law, the bill would still need Gov Brown’s signature. The proposal also wades into murky legal waters, with a state analysis concluding that the measure “falls within a muddled and evolving area” of the law, and would likely face a court challenge. The Legislature’s legal arm warned that the bill violates the Constitution.

Just as that legal uncertainty did not deter California, it has not dissuaded lawmakers in dozens of other states from introducing similar measures – part of a concerted backlash to Mr Trump’s financial secrecy.

However, Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey and a former campaign surrogate for Mr Trump, vetoed a bill imposing the requirement in his state.