Haircare is a priority for Donald Trump, so much so that The New York Times’s exposé found out the former president spent more than $70,000 on hairstyling during several years of his run on The Apprentice , his reality TV stint in 2004. The story also covered his tax information, which revealed he paid zero federal income tax for years.
‘Healthy hair, don’t care.’ The Republican candidate’s expenses to groom his silky mane are more than required for one person, even if it includes haircuts, blow-dries, and coloring. But, according to the tax analysis report, his production company deducted his hairstyling expenses from its taxable income, reported The New York Times.
Experts questioned this by mentioning that haircare falls under personal expenses, and deducting it from the tax income is strictly prohibited under any circumstance. They further clarified that such an act could be a potential criminal tax fraud if the hairstyling expense is reimbursed.
The hair-raising tax revelations that were finally made public bring the makers of the reality show under the microscope. The $70,000 was followed by an additional $95,000 paid to a hair and makeup artist favored by his daughter Ivanka Trump. According to the NBC executives, an amount as large as this for someone of stature as Trump is primarily paid by the show.
“I can’t think of any circumstances in which Trump would have paid those costs out of his own pocket and not be reimbursed,” one of the three NBC executives said. The official agreed to speak up on the condition of anonymity as they were still employed with NBC and Mark Burnett, the producer of The Apprentice .
Whatever the case, it is illegal to deduct reimbursed business expenses. Schuyler M. Moore, a tax expert at the law firm Greenberg Glusker in Los Angeles and the author of the legal treatise, Taxation of the Entertainment Industry, explained, “That would be a crime if it’s intentional.”
The 77-year-old is utterly fond of his blonde locks, and in an interview with Playboy in 2004, he gushed over his “beautiful” mane, “Once it’s dry, I comb it.” Trump continued, “Once I have it the way I like it — even though nobody else likes it — I spray it, and it’s good for the day.” He also revealed that his Slovenian wife, Melania, cuts his hair, and nobody else can touch it.
However, his tax records showed that his television company, Trump Productions, paid a Manhattan hairstylist and makeup artist, Sharon Sinclair, at least $13,300 in 2004, at least $36,400 in 2005, and at least $20,043 in 2006. This totals to $1,000 per episode. The grand total for 2004 to 2007 was $72,243.
Moore, the tax lawyer, said, “There’s no way he could have legitimately deducted hair expenses, whether reimbursed or not,” adding, “There are many cases and audits dealing with this issue.” The lawyer pointed toward other famous television personalities involved in a similar case of illegal tax reductions.