Trump Asks For Extension To File His 2017 Tax Return

President Donald Trump will not file his 2017 tax returns by the federal deadline and has requested an extension from the Internal Revenue Service, the White House announced on Tuesday.

“The president filed an extension for his 2017 tax return, as do many Americans with complex returns,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “He will file his tax return by the extension deadline of October 15, 2018.”

The White House did not disclose why Trump needed more time to prepare his returns.

The IRS extended the tax filing deadline an additional day after a glitch temporarily shut down its online payment system on Tuesday.

“This is the busiest tax day of the year, and the IRS apologizes for the inconvenience this system issue caused for taxpayers,” David Kautter, the agency’s acting commissioner, said in a statement. “The IRS appreciates everyone’s patience during this period. The extra time will help taxpayers affected by this situation.”

Taxpayers now have until midnight on April 18 to file their tax returns or request an extension. About 15 million people will join Trump in asking for a later deadline, the IRS said.

The issue of tax returns has long been a point of contention for Trump. During the last presidential election, he refused to release his past returns, even though almost every president and presidential nominee since Richard Nixon had routinely done so in an effort to provide a lens into their past financial history and charitable giving.

In 2016, Trump said he couldn’t release his own returns because the IRS was conducting an audit of his finances. IRS officials said any person can release the documents, whether they’re being audited or not.

Since the president’s tax returns are automatically audited by the IRS, Trump could use the same excuse for the duration of his term, The New York Times reported.