Donald Trump has lost his bid to avoid handing over tax returns to Congress.
Donald Trump must hand over his tax returns
The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for the former US president's financial information to be released to Democrats in a major setback to the politician in the wake of launching his latest bid for the White House.
Trump has been fighting for years to keep his tax returns private and has accused Democrats of a politically motivated witchhunt against him.
The 76-year-old politician has previously defied convention for presidential candidates by refusing to make his tax returns public.
Congress requested them from the IRS in 2019 but Trump went to court to block their release.
Following a long legal battle, the Supreme Court has ruled that the returns should be handed over to the House Ways and Means Committee in Congress.
The Democrat-controlled committee will receive six years of tax returns from Trump and his related business entities from the period between 2015 and 2020.
The controversial former president had been attempting to block the move until the Republicans take over the House of Representatives in January.
Richard Neal, the Democrat chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, hailed the decision made by the Supreme Court.
He said: "This rises above politics and the committee will now conduct the oversight that we've sought."
Democrat committee member Bill Pascrell added: "It has been 1,329 days since our committee sought Donald Trump’s tax returns - almost as long as the American Civil War.
"And for 1,329 days our request made under law has been delayed, obfuscated and blocked by Donald Trump and his adjutants in the government and the courts. The Supreme Court is right to keep its nose out of this case."
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