A new California law requires presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns in order to be on the state’s primary ballot. The law doesn’t explicitly name President Donald Trump, but it is clearly inspired by his failure to disclose his tax information.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation, SB 27 or the Tax Transparency and Accountability Act, on Tuesday stating that “states have a legal moral duty to do everything in their power to ensure leaders seeking the highest offices meet minimal standards, and to restore public confidence. The disclosure required by this bill will shed light on conflicts of interest, self-dealing, or influence from domestic and foreign business interest.”
The law requires any presidential candidate to disclose his or her income tax returns for the most recent five taxable years to the Secretary of State, who would make redacted versions available to the public on the Secretary’s website within five days of receiving them.
The current law does not preclude candidates from their names on the November full-presidential election—only party primaries. But primary candidates from both Republican and Democratic parties will be required to disclose the information.