Donald Trump Goes to Battle With Washington, DC, Over New Hotel
WASHINGTON, DC — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is no stranger to litigation, and his lawyers are in the midst of a big legal battle with the city of Washington, D.C., over how much he'll have to pay in taxes for his new hotel at the Old Post Office Building, which will open in September — a sign of just how much his relationship with D.C. has deteriorated in the past year.
In a motion the city submitted Monday that was posted online by Politico.com, lawyers are arguing that Trump's several June challenges of tax assessments were brought both too late and too soon, and that he indeed owes $1.7 million in annual tax bills for development in 2015 and 2016.
Trump's lawyers argue that the tax bill is too high because the hotel was only partially completed and the city didn't use the right methods to calculate the lease value.
Trump and the city of D.C. are very far apart on how much they estimate the value of the lease: Trump's company says it's only worth about $28 million, while the city issued a $91 million assessment, prompting appeals from Trump, according to Politico.
Read more: http://patch.com/district-columbia/washingtondc/donald-trump-going-war-dc
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He can live in a gilded suite on the top floor instead of that tacky old White House. State Dinners can be held there and they can serve Trump steaks and Trump wine. His first executive order can be to require hotel reservations from anyone who wants to meet with him or interview him. And he can have all his press conferences there, where he will urge Congress to hold hearings on how crooked the Clinton Foundation is.
