Alternet / By Joshua Holland (Originally published Sept. 21, 2012)
The Romneys paid more taxes than they had to in order to inflate the effective tax rate they paid this year.
Desperate to shift the national discussion away from his dismissal of half the country as indolent, unwashed and irredeemable, Mitt Romney released his 2011 tax returns today. According to his own words, the return “disqualifies” him from the presidency.
Why? Because the Romneys inflated their 2011 tax bill by not deducting all of the money they’d forked over to “charity” (much of which was tithes to the Church of Latter Day Saints, which doesn’t provide a lot of charitable services). According to a blog-post written by the manager of his “blind trust” – close confidant and attorney Brad Malt (who’s not as independent as the Romneys would have you believe) – the Romney’s gave over $4 million to charity last year but only deducted $2.25 million. [Read more…]