Donald Trump boasts of 'brilliant' use of US laws to pay as little tax as legally possible after Hillary Clinton's attack

Leaked documents suggest the Republican candidate may have legally avoided tax for 18 years

Donald Trump has boasted of using tax laws “brilliantly” to pay as little as possible following a blistering attack by Hillary Clinton.

Addressing cheering supporters in Colorado, the Republican candidate boasted of his supposed prowess and called taxation “unfair”.

Mr Trump said: “As a businessman and real estate developer, I have legally used the tax laws to my benefit and to the benefit of my company, my investors and my employees.

Donald Trump speaks at a rally held the Pueblo Convention Centre in Pueblo, Colorado, on 3 October (Getty Images) (Getty)

“Honestly, I have brilliantly used those laws…I have a responsibility to pay as little tax as legally possible.”

“The unfairness of the tax laws is unbelievable,” he added. “It's something I've been talking about for a long time, despite, frankly, being a big beneficiary of the laws.

”But I'm working for you now. I'm not working for Trump.“

He acknowledged business failures as well as successes but declared: “I'm still here.”

Ms Clinton raised the Republican’s tax history at a debate on Monday and called for him to release his returns, as well as a new law to force transparency for presidential candidate who refuse.

Documents leaked to the New York Times showed Mr Trump claimed a loss of nearly $916 million (£717 million) in his 1995 tax return - a move analysts said could have allowed him to avoid federal taxes for nearly two decades.

As Mr Trump’s supporters branded him a “genius” and pointed out similar methods in Ms Clinton’s 2015 tax return, his Democrat rival continued her attacks on the campaign trail.

“He's taken corporate excess and made a business model out of it,” she said. “It's Trump first and everyone else last.”

The debate comes during a troubled time for the Trump campaign, with former cast and crew members from the US version of The Apprentice hitting out at his alleged treatment of women on set.

On Monday, the New York attorney general's office ordered the Republican candidate’s Trump Foundation to immediately stop fundraising in the state, saying it isn't registered to do so.