People see opportunities that you wouldn’t think of. Donald Trump, as such, has been accused of burying his ex-wife Ivana Trump at his Golf course, so he can take advantage of the tax break offered to cemeteries.
“I was skeptical of rumors Trump buried his ex-wife in that sad little plot of dirt on his Bedminster, NJ golf course just for tax breaks.” – Brooke Harrington, a Dartmouth sociology professor sheds light on Donald Trump’s unorthodox move. “So I checked the NJ tax code & folks…it’s a trifecta of tax avoidance. Property, income & sales tax, all eliminated.”
Did Donald Trump Bury Ivana Trump At His Golf Club To Make His Property Tax-Free?
According to Ms. Harrington‘s thorough research on the matter, there is no clause in the law pointing out the number of graves for a place to qualify for the ‘cemetery break’.
“No stipulation regarding a minimum number of human remains necessary for the tax breaks to kick in. Looks like one corpse will suffice to make at least 3 forms of tax vanish.” – the professor tweeted, including a link to the law in question.
The document says that any land in New Jersey registered as a cemetery is not subjected to property income or sales tax.
At the moment it is unclear if Donald Trump had this plan beforehand. Or if it maybe Ivana’s will was to rest at the golf course. However, it is evident that now Donald Trump takes full advantage of the benefits.
Ivana Trump died in her home on July 14th, at an age of 73 years old. She slipped and fell down the stairs in her home causing her immediate death. Donald Trump arranged her funeral at the golf course just a few days after that, on the 20th of July.
Donald Trump created a massive backlash with the burial of his ex-wife. Reactions are coming from all sides. Twitter users are curious to know whether this is all intentional.
“New Jersey law exempts land used for cemetery purposes from income, sales, and use taxes.” – Phoebe Wall Howard of USA Today wrote. “The Ivana Trump burial site at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster likely delivers a huge tax break. Business and inheritance taxes are exempt, too. Also, cemetery property is exempt from sale for collection of judgments.”
There is a ‘catch’ in the law that Donald Trump most probably knew before arranging the burial. The announced tax break for cemeteries applies if the land of the ‘resting place’ is not bigger than 10 acres. The golf course is not larger than 1.5 acres. This gives Donald Trump open hands to take full advantage of the tax break for the whole golf club.
Donald Trump has been taking advantage of such holes in the law since his very beginning as a businessman. For example, he previously had another tax break for this same property because he had registered it as a farm instead of a golf course. He is eligible to do so since the property produces mulch that sells for gardening purposes.
“Graveyards and burial grounds used or intended to be used for the interment of bodies of the dead or the ashes thereof not exceeding ten acres of ground, and cemeteries and buildings for cemetery use erected thereon, and all mausoleums, vaults, crypts or structures intended to hold or contain the bodies of the dead or the ashes thereof, and solely devoted to or held for that purpose shall be exempt from taxation under this chapter.” – the actual law reads.
“Mr. Trump specifically chose this property for his final resting place as it is his favorite property.” – The Washington Post announced back in 2017. The outlet also pointed out that Donald Trump is doing these ‘legal’ scams in order to pay as little tax as possible. For instance, the tax for this property was about $17 per year before it became a cemetery. New Jersey has this pro-farm policy that allows farmers to pay little to no taxes on their working property. The Post pointed out the extent of Donald Trump’s trickery. They put light on the fact that there’s a herd of goats living on a small portion of the ‘farmland’.
To get a picture of Donald Trump’s savings by not paying full tax for the place, consider that the yearly tax for such a place if it was not a farm, or a graveyard, would have been about $80 000 per year.
Donald Trump chose a little space on the huge golf course to bury his ex-wife, hidden from sight. Behind the Bedminster clubhouse, people are unable to see the grave. The ex-President’s organization received a permit for 10 burial spots at the property.
In 2017, Donald Trump Even tried to maximize his profits from the place. He asked the authorities to approve about 300 burial spots on the golf course. Nevertheless, his idea was to sell it to members of the club, which will gather profits of about $300 000.
“It’s one thing to have a burial in a typical cemetery. But it’s another if you’re lying alongside the fifth fairway of Trump National. Golfers will hold memberships over many generations here.” – Donald Trump’s consultant Ed Russo tried to justify the cause.
Donald Trump began planning for this switch in use as early as 2007. The initial plan was for the golf course to include a wedding chapel as well. That’s why in 2009, Donald Trump had the wedding of his daughter Ivanka and Jared Kushner at the property.
What do you think? Is there a possibility that Donald Trump was unaware of the tax break laws?
