A post on Twitter claims former President Donald Trump’s National Golf Club resort in Bedminster, New Jersey will pay no taxes due to its location as Ivana Trump’s gravesite.
Why did Donald Trump bury Ivana at his NJ golf course?
Tax breaks, money & petty revenge.
As a “cemetery” Bedminster pays no taxes & can’t be seized in a judgment.
Trump also charged Ivana’s estate burial, maintenance & “membership” fees.
Re: revenge, just look at her grave💀 pic.twitter.com/yGHvqu0vRw
— Lynnette KhalfaniCox (@themoneycoach) July 30, 2022
Verdict: False
While there is a parcel of land that is designated as a cemetery and could be tax-exempt, it does not apply to the entire resort.
Fact Check:
The former president’s first ex-wife, Ivana, died at the age of 73 in July after sustaining injuries from a fall at her home in New York City, according to CNBC. She was buried at the former president’s New Jersey golf club later that month, the New York Post reported.
The tweet, which has been reshared over 200 times, claims Trump’s golf club would see massive tax benefits after Ivana Trump’s body was buried there.
“As a ‘cemetery’ Bedminster pays no taxes & can’t be seized in a judgment,” the post’s caption reads in part. (RELATED: Will The Trump Family Save $1 Billion Under The GOP Tax Plan?”)
In New Jersey, cemetery organizations can qualify for a tax deduction and stipulations, but must be totally dedicated to the cemetery industry. Cemeteries organizations must also register as a nonprofit to qualify for tax exemptions.
The Trump Family Trust did receive authorization for a cemetery company on the property, Newsweek reported. However, the New Jersey State Cemetery Board approved a private cemetery that would only apply to a 5,700-square-foot parcel of the property, rendering that amount of land as potentially tax-exempt, according to the outlet.
“It is extremely unlikely that the golf course would ever be qualified as a cemetery company, ” Thomas Olson a New Jersey-based attorney, told Check Your Fact via phone. “Note, to be a cemetery company it has to be devoted to and intended to be used for a cemetery and for cemetery purposes, neither of which is happening there.”
Olson explained that there is a statute “that says, land that is used for a burial ground might be subject to an exemption, but even somehow, if that would apply, it would only apply to the very, very small area that the graveside takes up.”
This is not the first time false claims have been made about Ivana Trump’s death. Check Your Fact recently debunked the claim that Donald Trump said her death was “highly suspicious.”