Thousands of people have marched through midtown Manhattan to demand that Donald Trump release his tax returns.
Protestors take part in a "Tax March" to call on US President Donald Trump to release his tax records. Photo: AFP
Organisers of today's tax march in New York, one of more than 150 across the United States and beyond, want to call attention to the president's refusal to disclose his tax history, as his predecessors have done for more than 40 years.
In addition to major US cities, marches are planned in Europe and Japan.
Marches were held in Auckland and Dunedin yesterday, and the Manhattan march drew an estimated 5000 people.
Critics have raised questions about what Mr Trump's tax returns might reveal about his net worth and business ties.
Mr Trump has refused to release the returns, citing an ongoing audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but the IRS has said that he can release them even while under audit.
Mr Trump has said nobody cares about his tax returns, except the press.
"Thanks to Trump, I think that releasing your taxes when you run for president now has to be a law," said New Yorker Marni Halasa, 51, who arrived in a tutu and leggings made of fake dollar bills and holding a sign that read "Show Me The Money!"
In Washington, more than 1500 protesters gathered on the front lawn of the US Capitol, where members of Congress addressed the crowd before it marched to the Lincoln Memorial.
"We are taking the gloves off to say knock off the secrecy Mr. President," Senator Ron Wyden said, who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, which would play a leading role in tax reform measures being considered in Congress.
He described Trump's refusal to release his taxes as being "like a teenager trying to hide a lousy report card".
There have been some glimpses into Mr Trump's tax history.
Last month, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow reported on two pages of Mr Trump's 2005 return that were obtained by investigative reporter David Cay Johnston and released by DCReport.org.
They showed Trump paid $38 million in taxes on more than $150m in income.
And in October, The New York Times reported that Mr Trump had declared a $916m loss on his 1995 federal tax return, citing three pages of documents from the return.
- Reuters
