Trump State Park - Nice Tax Write-off

Park isn't much to look at.

When Trump is convicted of tax fraud after he is fired by US voters, one of the charges in the massive indictment will be the huge tax write-off he claimed for property he was unable to develop in New York state. He turned a tract worth less than three million dollars into between a $26M and $100M tax write-off.  This is one of many cases where Trump donated land that he was unable to use in exchange for large and very poorly documented tax write-offs.  

In 1998, Trump bought an undeveloped piece of land an hour's drive north of New York City for $2.75M.  His intention to build a Trump branded golf course on the site was not viewed kindly in the adjacent communities and, along with environment concerns, put an end to the golf course.  So, Trump out of the goodness of his heart, donated the land to the state of New York for use as a park, with the stipulation that his name be featured on park signage at specific locations.

In 2006, the reality TV mogul donated the undeveloped land to New York state, claiming it was worth $100m – an amount that, if claimed as a qualified conservation contribution, could have saved him a fortune in income tax, potentially carried forward for years. (Confusingly, Trump’s 2016 campaign valued the land at $26.1m in his public list of charitable contributions.)

The lucrative donation deal was approved by Bernadette Castro, a friend of Trump’s and former CEO of Castro Convertibles, a pullout sofa company, who was appointed New York parks commissioner by the then Republican governor, George Pataki. At an elaborate ceremony that year – reportedly complete with a catering tent, bottles of Trump-branded ice water, and TV crew – Castro lavished praise on Trump’s “magnificent donation”, and Pataki boasted the park would “provide recreational opportunities for families and visitors”. Trump declared: “I hope that these 436 acres of property will turn into one of the most beautiful parks anywhere in the world.”

Crappy park, but nice sign.

I'm surprised that Trump didn't describe the Donald J Trump State Park as the "eight wonder of the world," a description he has used for his now demolished Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City and the vacant acreage that is the Foxconn manufacturing site in Wisconsin.  The "park" is an orphan in the New York state park system.  Essentially, a dirt parking lot, some disposed rubbish and a few unimproved trails.  It doesn't provide much recreation for the citizens of New York, but it did provide Trump was a massive tax write-off that helped him off-set his earning from when he pretended to be a successful businessman on The Apprentice reality TV show.  

Having visited the park, it all feels like a big joke. The site is surprisingly hard to find – beyond a garish sign on the nearby Taconic State Parkway, there are no clear markers to guide potential visitors – as if the state hopes you won’t actually go. It’s not listed on New York parks’ website, either, although it is labelled a “passive park”, which means it is not maintained and has no amenities.

Upon arrival, you are greeted with nothing. The “parking lot” is an empty gravel patch with a noticeboard that warns visitors to beware of ticks. There are no restrooms, trash cans, or places to sit. The remainder is basically bramble bushes and an empty field with bits of trash. This, I guess, is what $100m looks like under late capitalism.