Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, said they paid an effective federal income tax rate of 34.2 percent in 2015, as her campaign sought to draw a contrast with her Republican rival, Donald Trump. Documents show the Clintons paid $3.24 million in federal income taxes in 2015, with their total federal and state tax burden amounting to 43.2 percent – down from 45.8 percent in 2014.
Advertisement
Hillary Clinton, who announced her candidacy in April 2015, made $1.48 million from speaking engagements in 2015, a sharp decrease from the almost $10.5 million she generated the year before. Of that number, however, $1 million went to their own Clinton Family Foundation, a separate endeavor from the Clinton Foundation.
Trump senior communications advisor Jason Miller said in a statement that Americans would rather see deleted emails from Clinton’s private server, Clinton Foundation records and transcripts of speeches she gave to Wall Street business people.
The New York Times reported that Trump had likely benefited from tax breaks available to real estate developers in past years, as in 1978 and 1979, when he paid no federal income tax at all, according to documents he made public in 1981 when applying for a casino license in New Jersey.
The release on Friday is part of an effort to undercut Trump’s character by questioning the celebrity businessman’s record.
Trump has refused to release his tax returns until an audit conducted by a special division known as the “Wealth Squad” of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the US’ tax authority, is completed.
“He refuses to do what every other presidential candidate in decades has done and release histax returns”, she told the crowd.
Trump steered clear of mentioning his personal taxes Friday.
The Clinton campaign challenged Mr. Trump to release his tax returns.
The Clintons were expected to release their full 2015 tax return on Friday, adding to eight years of returns that Hillary Clinton’s campaign released last year.
The Clintons have disclosed tax returns for every year since 1977.
Democrats believe Trump’s returns could be a trove of politically damaging information. They want to see his tax rate, charitable giving, and business dealings with foreign governments.
Protesters at Trump afternoon rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, held up signs reading “Tax Forms” before being escorted out by security.
Trump’s critics, including 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and other fellow Republicans, have said his refusal raises questions about his net worth, his charitable contributions, his business dealings and various other ties, including with Russian Federation.
Advertisement
Clinton’s campaign also released 10 years of returns from running mate Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton. Over the last decade, the couple has donated 7.5 percent of their income to charity, the campaign said, and paid an effective tax rate of 25.6 percent a year ago.
