Mitt Romney’s Tax Returns of the Day: Semi-bowing to political pressure, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney released his tax forms this morning and — surprise — he’s stupid rich.
How stupid rich? In 2010, Romney made $21.7 million. In 2011, the former Massachusetts governor made $20.9. In both years, the overwhelming majority of his income came from personal investments — capital gains, dividends, and interest.
In both years Romney owed significantly less taxes than the average American — 13.9% in 2010; 15.4% in 2011 (thanks George Bush) — while earning 900 times the median American salary without lifting a finger.
As becoming of the sort of comically wealthy person he is, Romney’s tax forms reveal he also maintained bank accounts in notorious tax havens such as Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and Switzerland.
His forms show he paid taxed on all three accounts, before closing them. Of course, given the minuscule glimpse into Romney’s tax history, it’s difficult to tell if the two forms paint a complete picture.
To his credit, Romney did donate some $7 million to charity over the course of the last two years. (The majority of which went to the Mormon Church, but it still beats Biden’s $369 a year.)
All in all, nothing earth-shattering, although the forms certainly cement in the minds of the average voter just how above-average Romney is in the fortune department.
And it’s worth noting, as Wonkette does, that Romney released 23 years of tax returns to the McCain campaign, and they picked Sarah Palin for veep over him, so something in those other 21 years may have spooked them.
[photo: theatlantic.]
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