What's the story on the $750 in taxes?

[unblock]

That's a peculiar number for a tax return involving hundreds of millions of dollars.

Was there some small income he couldn't use his business losses to offset?

Or did he tell his tax guy, hey, make sure I pay some small amount so I can say "of course I paid taxes"?

Nah, he'd just lie. Must be the first I'm guessing

[Laelth]

1. The latter seems more likely to me.

What seems really fishy to me is that he paid the same amount in 2016 and 2017. How does that happen unless he told his accountant to “make it so?” We don’t know about 2018 and 2019 yet, but if he paid $750 both of those years too, then something stinks to high heaven.

-Laelth

[unblock]

2. Right, unless there was some specific income. $7500 @ 10% that he couldn't write off somehow

[Bradshaw3]

3. David Cay Johnston on CNN had a theory

To paraphrase, said it was just a throwaway, a made up sum they tossed in. I think he meant it like your last point, just to say he paid some tax.

[frazzled]

4. It's explained (partially)

and in detail in the Times article. If people can’t access it, maybe we should start a thread whereby those who can successively post 4-paragraph excerpts until the whole thing can be read. But it’s hundreds of paragraphs ...