Mitt Romney’s campaign, as promised, released the former governor’s 2010 tax returns, as well as an estimate for his 2011 returns, and we’re starting to get a sense of why the Republican candidate wasn’t eager to share these details.

Mitt Romney offered a partial snapshot of his vast personal fortune late Monday, disclosing income of $21.7 million in 2010 and $20.9 million last year — virtually all of it profits, dividends or interest from investments.

None came from wages, the primary source of income for most Americans. Instead, Romney and his wife, Ann, collected millions in capital gains from a profusion of investments, as well as stock dividends and interest payments.

By any fair estimate, over $42 million in income over two years isn’t bad for a guy who jokes about being “unemployed.” Indeed, Romney would be in the top 1% based solely on the income he makes in one week.

This is the tax system that 30 years of trickle down has given us. Romney thinks that his 13.9% should be cut in half, and all of his Republican adversaries essentially agree. From Washington Monthly.

As a small businessman, I have a greater tax burden just in Social Security, than Romney has in total.

You're going to pay more than $6.2 million in Social Security taxes?

Has Romney done anything illegal?

Has Romney done anything different than every other tax law abiding tax payer, including B.O. and Biden, paying what he owes to the government according to the government's own tax laws...and not a penny more?

Illegal? I dunno - he refuses to release his prior tax returns, (before he closed his swiss bank account, the same banks being investigated by the IRS).

In a sense (using your own apparent ethical compass), I suppose so. All of us should move our assets to the Cayman Islands and use the proceeds of looted companies to set up $100 million trust funds for our offspring.

Surely you understand the concept of "tax burden". My SS tax is about $3.1 million in Romney bucks. His total tax burden is significantly less.

I would very much rather pay his tax rate than mine, but if elected, he would shift half of his taxes onto me... and you too.

I understand the concept of tax burden.
I also understand that I have no control over anyone's tax burden but my own. And guess what...like any other fiscally savvy and responsible tax-payer, I try to legally limit mine.

I suppose in this political age there's nothing that can't be attempted by executive order.

Then what's the point of all these tax-cutting jackasses on TV trying to get you to vote for them?

Of course you have control by virtue of 30 years of voting for the people who created Mitt Romney and his vulture capitalist ilk.

You tell me. I don't watch them on TV.




Really? 30 years? You know that I've voted for just one ticket for 30 years? You're certain that I've never worked for the Democratic Party? ::eyeroll::

Btw, you have as much control as I do...so what are you whining about? Make a tax hike on "the rich" happen.