Despite telling ABC News over the weekend he’d be “happy” to hand over more information on his past tax returns, Mitt Romney has yet to follow up on their request.
Romney has steadfastly refused to release any tax returns from earlier than last year despite pressure from both Democrats and Republicans alike to shed more light on his finances. However, he said in an interview on Sunday he’d at least check whether he ever paid a lower rate than the 13.9% from 2010.
“I haven’t calculated that,” Romney told ABC’s David Muir. “I’m happy to go back and look, but my view is I’ve paid all the taxes required by law. From time to time I’ve been audited as happens I think to other citizens as well and the accounting firm which prepares my taxes has done a very thorough and complete job pay taxes as legally due.”
But ABC says Romney officials have not gotten back to them on whether Romney ever paid a lower tax rate than 13.9% despite their repeated queries. Instead, they received a rehash of Romney’s already disclosed taxes and charitable donations from 2010, suggesting that Romney may have overpromised in his interview what his campaign was willing to reveal.
“Mitt Romney has paid his taxes in full compliance with U.S. law, and he has paid 100 percent of what he has owed,” Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho told ABC News in a statement. “As has previously been reported, in 2011, the Romneys will pay more than $3.2 million in taxes on $20.9 million in mostly investment income and will have donated more than $4 million to charity. In 2010, The Romneys paid more than $3 million in taxes on $21.6 million in mostly investment income and donated nearly $3 million to charity.”
The Obama campaign accused Romney of “breaking his promise” by not disclosing more details about his tax rate.
“It’s not surprising that Mitt Romney - the most secretive nominee in recent history - is once again siding against transparency and breaking his promise to ‘go back and look’ at additional tax returns to see if he ever paid less than his 2010 rate of 13.9%,” Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith said in a statement. “His refusal to do so raises serious questions about just how much he has paid in taxes and whether he has resorted to tax loopholes and dodges to avoid paying his fair share. He can put these questions to rest by following decades of precedent by releasing additional years worth of returns and providing the full account of the income tax rates he paid, as he promised he would just days ago.”
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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