New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a bill on Monday that would allow New York’s tax authority to hand over state tax returns to the U.S. Congress.
The bill would allow the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance commissioner to release state tax returns to Congress’ Ways & Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, or the Joint Committee on Taxation.
“Tax secrecy is paramount — the exception being for bonafide investigative and law enforcement purposes,” Cuomo said in a statement. “By amending the law enforcement exception in New York State tax code to include Congressional tax-related committees, this bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law.”
After Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin refused to comply with the House Ways and Means Committee’s request for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, New York’s state legislature passed the bill in an effort to mitigate Mnuchin’s stonewalling.
The House Ways and Means Committee sued Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service chief Chuck Rettig last week for the President’s tax returns.
However, committee chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) is reportedly reluctant to ask the state for Trump’s tax returns because he fears jeopardizing a potential court case in the battle for Trump’s federal tax returns.
