And the people complaining about it? They probably do it as well.
A few weeks ago I wrote something on here that went all the way back to the 2016 presidential debates. The moment where Hillary Clinton tried to score points by saying Donald Trump had paid little (if any) income taxes in several years, thinking it would make him look bad.
Instead of running for cover, Trump handled it exactly right.
His mic was still on, Hillary kept talking, and he just cut in:
Most politicians would have tried to hide from a charge like that. They’d scramble to justify why they didn’t pay more than legally required.
And they’d lose the argument before it even started.
Trump leaned into it. He made it clear he (or his accountants) used the rules as written, which is exactly what anyone with common sense would do.
If anything, it would be irresponsible not to.
At the time I wrote that, I offered a short info flyer explaining Section 1031 Exchanges and how they can be used to reduce or defer tax liability on real estate sales. You can get it below if you want.
(Insert the usual disclaimer here:
I’m not a CPA or attorney. I’m a real estate broker. This isn’t tax, legal, or financial advice. It’s informational. Read it, ask questions to the right professional, and make your own decisions.)
Quite a few people downloaded it.
Probably because many already knew the basics — 1031s aren’t a new trick.
But another thought crossed my mind:
Some folks may have avoided the info because they didn’t want to be “associated with Donald Trump.”
So let’s get something out of the way.
Using tax law to your advantage isn’t a Donald Trump thing. It’s not a Republican thing. It’s not a Democrat thing.
It’s a smart thing.
And people on all political sides do it — especially the ones who complain about it publicly.
“That makes me smart” wasn’t the last thing Trump said that night.
When the tax topic resurfaced, he pointed out that Hillary Clinton had been a U.S. Senator and could have tried to change the laws, but didn’t.
Why?
Because her friends use the exact same rules he does.
If you’re not doing the same thing, the only person you’re hurting is yourself.
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So if you own land or are thinking about selling, and you want to understand how real estate tax law actually works in the real world — not in political talking points — start here.
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