I don't know about you but I want to see Mitt Romney's tax returns. I know that I pay a lot of taxes every year. My tax rate is a lot higher than Mr. Romney's. The disparity in our tax rates make me want to know just how favorable the tax loopholes purchased by the super wealthy are. How fair is it that on his $20 million in income he paid less than 14%? I am a small business owner and cannot even begin to get my tax rate that low. I also look at my IRA into which I can contribute approximately $6K per year and wonder how in the heck did he get over $100 million in his? There's something corrupt in our tax code when huge benefits accrue to those who need them the least.
I don't think this is a partisan issue. We need to have a bright light shine on the inequality in our tax code and the huge corruption in the elite class that are able to "buy" special favors through their contributions to our elected officials.
I especially am furious that those that are the richest get to classify their earnings as "investment" income and pay a 15% tax rate when all those who work for a living have to pay the graduated income tax rate. Again, this is so unfair.
Know what I think? I think the "rich" are concerned that we, The People, are having an opportunity to see how things really work in this country. The blinders are coming off and I think we're horrified!
Mr. Romney's refusal to disclose his tax returns, as is customary in presidential races, shows an arrogance and complete disdain towards the American people.
The better accountant that you have, the less taxes you pay. That is a fact. I doubt Romney or any smart business owner uses TurboTax. If the TAX code allows for Romney to have SECRET accounts and he has not broken any laws, then good for him. Why should he pay more than he legally has too. I pay the least amount of taxes as possible and try to take advantage of every deduction possible. So, if Romney has complied with the 2,000+ pages of tax code, then there is NO issue. As far as I know, the IRS hasn't levied any charges against him, so his returns must be legal and acceptable to the IRS. I'll bet anyone on this site that Romney has contributed more to CHARITY in one year than OBAMA, BIDEN, PELOSI and REID combined in the entire lifetime.
Before you knock going to Harvard, remember Obama also went there.
i agree patrick that it doesn't make a ton of difference at this point. there's way too much questioning and shadiness already for me. it just reeks of another rich guy, who i'm sure would do his best to look out for other rich guys. rather than someone who has nothing to hide. not to mention all the off-shoring of funds to protect them and to invest in what he believes is a more superior currency. doesn't strike me as someone who believes in america. smart move, sure. but do you want that guy running the country? would you want a CEO running a company that buys as little stock as he has to, but urges all the employees to?
Your main concern seems to be his IRA. What kind of info do you think you will find out about his IRA from his 1040's? Are you going to want to examine the last 12 years of all of his brokerage accounts as well?
Do you know much about taxes and what info is on a 1040?
Course IRA 101 - Your IRA balance is NOT just a total of annual contributions to a savings account!
You are missing a big difference - not at all like the difference you point out. Releasing those 12 years of tax returns is not required. And, even if you don't like the info you would find in them, it would not disqualify him from becoming president. BUT, the birthers have suspicions or grounds, legitimate or not, for believing that Obama does not have a real birth certificate to prove he is a natural born citizen. And this would mean he is not eligible to be President of the United States - a much more severe revelation than having oodles of money and paying taxes at a low rate.
I am having trouble in responding to this post. At first I didn't think I should address your post. After all, after a senate campaign, after a presidential campaign and 3 years as president, if there were anything to your conspiracy theory it would have come out by now. That's all I really have to say.
There is already a safeguard in place to see his tax returns. Did you ever hear of something called the IRS? Now you don't trust them or their audits? And, regarding Obama. A bit more serious. You are right, though. An accusation doesn't mean he should have to show it. But, if I were him, I would want to put all this question of my legitimicy to office to rest. There will always be a large percent of the population who wonder if he really was entitled to be pres. About any others and their tax returns - what do I care? So long as they show what is required and I know the IRS is in place to audit them.
I think you are just as guilty with so called "partisan garbage", as you argue over and over how Obama should show any record that people ask for, and that Romney doesn't need to show his tax returns, because all it will show is that he made a lot of money. That's not partisan? By the way, I am not a 100% Obama fan. I am voting for him, because I think Romney is not the answer to our problems. However, during the Republican primaries, I was in the Jon Huntsman camp and would have certainly considered voting for him, but he had no hope as he was not a flame-thrower like the others to satisfy the base. On a serious note, if I was Romney, and I knew that I would be running for president (which he's known for years), I would certainly close all of my off shore accounts from tax shelter countries and bring the money back to the U.S. It just looks bad, while not illegal, to want to be President of the US and have a lot of your fortune hiding from taxation in the U.S.
Huntsman was the one we wanted in our household too! And, agree on the offshore accounts - I would bring the money home. And say we need to change the laws to make it more favorable to have people keep money here.
The urgent questions about Romney have been whether that was really him, photographed blurrily, pumping his own gas, or what he and Ann thought of Jacob imprinting on Renesmee in the new “Twilight” movie—which they saw over the weekend—and which vampire coven reminded them most of the Republican primary field. Last month, Romney was talking about the near-psychic bond he had with Netanyahu; that may have been nice for them, but it hardly seems to matter anymore to anyone else. By the time there was a ceasefire deal, on Wednesday, the Romney radar was alive to reports of a trip to Disneyland with his wife and grandchildren. There's lots to celebrate this Thanksgiving. At the TOP of my list is that THIS TURKEY was not elected... Go Obama! Onward and upward! Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/11/romneys-republican-disneyland.html#ixzz2Cy3grAfZ