Franklin, Andrews, Kramer & Edelstein

[scion]

In fact, the proposals seem almost tailor-made to enrich the president and people like him.

“Commercial real estate came out essentially unscathed,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, a conservative advocacy group. Real estate developers “didn’t lose anything they care about,” and they got even more breaks, like a shorter depreciation schedule in the Senate tax bill, Mr. Holtz-Eakin pointed out.

Mr. Trump still has not released his tax returns, so it’s impossible to know to what extent he would personally benefit from the legislation. But there’s little doubt that he would.

“Lower pass-through rates and the repeal of the alternative minimum tax — those two alone are so hugely beneficial to Trump that I have trouble imagining any way that he wouldn’t come out ahead,” said Steve Wamhoff, senior fellow for federal tax policy at the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. (The pass-through reference involves income that typically comes from partnerships and limited liability companies.)

Not only that, but rental income, royalty payments and licensing fees — some of the president’s major sources of income — get especially favorable treatment under new rates for pass-through income. (Mr. Trump’s assets include more than 500 pass-through partnerships and limited liability companies.)

“Trump will make out like a bandit on all the big items,” said Steven M. Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Trump Says G.O.P. Tax Bill Wouldn’t Benefit Him. That’s Not True.
Common Sense
By JAMES B. STEWART NOV. 30, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/business/trump-benefit-tax-cuts.html