Donald Trump's abuse of the conservation easement tax loophole shows how the tax code favors the ultrarich - MarketWatch

Donald Trump's abuse of the conservation easement tax loophole shows how the tax code favors the ultrarich - MarketWatch.

Outside the Box

Opinion: Donald Trump’s abuse of the conservation easement tax loophole shows how the tax code favors the ultrarich

Last Updated: Oct. 21, 2020 at 1:35 p.m. ETFirst Published: Oct. 21, 2020 at 1:33 p.m. ET

By 

Bob Lord and

 

Chuck Collins

20

How to ‘donate’ land to a charity, but keep it for your own exclusive use

• Email icon
• Facebook icon
• Twitter icon
• Linkedin icon
• Flipboard icon

• Print icon
• Resize icon

A man expresses his opinion in front of the Supreme Court on July 9, when the court ruled that New York prosecutors can obtain President Donald Trump's tax records.

 GETTY IMAGES

The New York Times’s report on Donald Trump’s taxes was rich with detail, including allegations of massive deductions for the president’s business losses, $70,000 worth of hair styling. and high-end consulting fees for his own daughter.

One less-known item was the president’s use of obscure donations called conservation easements. Those easements may be the most emblematic part of how America’s tax system favors the ultrarich.