2 years ago
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams pledged Tuesday to release unspecified “tax information,” but refused to say what that information would consist of and did not commit to releasing his tax returns themselves.
Adams, the mayor of the nation's largest city, on Friday would not pledge to making his tax returns public — breaking with decades of custom by past mayors, as well as the governor and president.
When asked Tuesday why he was hesitating, Adams said he does plan to release information about his tax filings.
“No hesitation. We’re going to release tax information. No hesitation,” he told reporters at an unrelated press conference on Staten Island.
Pressed repeatedly on what that information would be and whether it would include copies of his tax returns, Adams would not say.
“Tax information. We’re going to release the tax information. Now remember, I’m not required. We know that, right? So let’s be clear on that. So let’s not give the impression that I’m required. I’m not required. But we will release tax information,” he said.
Adams refiled his taxes last year after POLITICO reported that the then-mayoral candidate failed to properly disclose rental income on returns between 2017 and 2019.
Key context: Former Mayors Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio all released their tax forms during their tenures that go back to 1994. City law requires public officials to disclose financial information, but not to release their taxes.
U.S. presidents have also released their taxes — with the famous exception of Donald Trump, who fought tooth and nail against efforts to force him to disclose his.
Gov. Kathy Hochul released her tax forms on Friday. So did President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Adams released past tax returns during his mayoral campaign, but was repeatedly cited for discrepancies in his returns.
He amended his taxes after failing to report rental income. Later, he promised to amend and make public a revised filing again after claiming on his taxes that he spent no days living at the Brooklyn property he says is his home address. The latter documents were never released. Adams blamed the tax errors on an accountant who was homeless at the time.
What’s next: When asked Tuesday what tax information he will release, Adams said only, “I’m going to release tax information.”
When asked if that meant his actual tax returns would not be released, he repeated, “I’m going to release tax information.”
He did not say when the information would be made public.
English (US)