Donald Trump paying $750 in income tax shows why he's a billionaire

His net worth is based chiefly on the value of his office and commercial property holdings, minus debts that were already known

A New York Times story based on Donald Trump’s long-sought-after tax data shows he avoided paying income taxes for most of the past two decades and paid only $750 the year he was elected president.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t a billionaire.

By pairing moneymaking businesses with spectacular money-losers, the Trump Organization has been able to shield profits generated by office properties and “The Apprentice” from tax collectors. It’s a souped-up version of the formula deployed by America’s landlord class for decades. But tax losses are different from operating losses, and the new data don’t necessarily show his business empire