Washington, September 30: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) defended himself when questioned about a news report on the minimal amount of income tax paid by him, saying "I don't want to pay tax."

During the first presidential debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked the US President about The New York Times report which revealed that Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and also he had paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years starting in 2000.

Also Read | US Presidential Debate 2020: Donald Trump, Joe Biden Trade Early Jabs in First Presidential Debate.

Trump, who disputes the report, was pressed to say how much he paid in taxes but declined. "I paid millions of dollars in taxes. Millions of dollars in income tax," he said.

Then he said that he attempted to avoid taxes as much as possible, referencing tax breaks that he and others try to claim.

Also Read | US Presidential Debate 2020: Donald Trump ‘Does Take Advantage of Tax Code’ and ‘Pays Less Tax Than a Schoolteacher’, Says Joe Biden.

"I don't want to pay tax," he said. He added that private investors like himself, "unless they're stupid, they go through the laws and that's what it is."

Meanwhile, Biden talked about his plans to repeal some of the tax cuts passed under Trump and impose taxes on companies that pay little to the U.S. now, the President said that Biden had served for many years and didn't take action.

Biden went right back at him, pointing out that he's actually proposing to raise taxes cut by Republicans. "You in fact passed that," Biden said. "That was your tax proposal."

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