I'm Brian Lehrer.

This is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios.

It's Monday, June 14th.

If you've been listening to the station over the last couple of days, you know that many people today are acknowledging the 50th anniversary

of the publication of the Pentagon Papers, which lifted the veil on U.S. government secrets

about the Vietnam War and helped lead to the resignation of Richard Nixon, right?

There are multiple segments on the station yesterday and today about that history.

But we've got a fresh one for you.

Not a new set of Pentagon papers.

It's not about the military.

Instead, it's an article called The Secret IRS Files.

Trove of never-before-seen records reveal how the wealthiest avoid income taxes.

Now, maybe you've heard a little about this already.

Three ProPublica reporters analyzed over 15 years of tax returns from the richest Americans,

like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and many more.

But in addition to just income and taxes, these records showed investments, audits, and debts.

What did they find out?

Well, the obtained record showed that American business moguls who have managed to exponentially

grow their wealth throughout the years pay little and even in some cases, zero income taxes.

Now, that may sound like something you already knew or at least suspected.

But one interesting thing about the report is it alleges that the ultra-wealthy are able to

avoid paying taxes most years legally and without even any need for offshore accounts or secret holdings.

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