Mitt Romney Says He’ll ‘Probably’ Release Multiple Years of Tax Returns, Points to Business Success, ‘Real Streets’ Origins
EmailCHARLESTON, S.C. – Mitt Romney suggested at today’s GOP presidential debate for the first time that he would “probably” release his tax returns not only from 2011 but from previous years as well, but garnered boos from the crowd when he seemed to waver on the decision.
Romney’s announcement came the same night that rival Newt Gingrich released his tax returns for 2010, showing he made $3.1 million, and paid 31 percent of his income on federal taxes. Romney has said he paid about a 15 percent tax rate. That is the rate for capital gains on investments.
“When my taxes are complete for this year, and I know that if I’m the nominee, the president is going to want to insist that I show what my income was this last year, so when they’re completed this year in April, I will release my returns in April for his year, and probably for other years as well,” Romney said during the debate in Charleston, S.C., sponsored by CNN.
But when pressed whether he’d follow the path of his father, George Romney, who released 12 years of taxes during his 1967 presidential bid, arguing that there might be a “fluke” in just one year’s results, Romney responded, “Maybe.”
“I don’t know how many years I’ll release,” Romney said as the crowd booed. Romney paused and smiled.
“I’ll release multiple years, I don’t know how many years,” Romney said. “But I’ll be happy to do that. I know there are some who are anxious to see if they can make it difficult for a campaign to be successful. I know the Democrats want to go after my being successful. I’m not going to apologize for being successful.”
Financial disclosures with the Office of Government Ethics show Romney’s net worth to be between $190 million and $250 million. Romney has used his business success and the focus of his career, not Washington politics but in corporate America and Massachusetts government, as a lynchpin of his candidacy, while at the same time trying to appear relatable to voters.
After Gingrich and Rick Santorum sparred about their records in Congress, Romney pointed to his experience as better suited to what America needs.
“What you’ve listened to, in my view, and the speaker’s rendition of history going back to 1978 and his involvement in Washington, is, in my view, a perfect example of why we need to send to Washington someone who has not lived in Washington, but someone who’s lived in the real streets of America, working in the private sector, who’s led a business, who started a business, who helped lead the Olympics, who helped lead a state,” Romney said, touting his own resume. “We need to have someone outside Washington go to Washington.”
But that comment from Romney that he comes from the “real streets of America” drew an immediate response from Democrats, who, anticipating that Romney will ultimately be the Republican nominee, have tried to paint him more as corporate raider than successful businessman.
Romney had said two days ago that he would release only his 2011 returns.
“In prior races for president the tradition has been that the nominee releases his tax returns in tax season, in April,” Romney said. “And I know that if I’m the nominee, people will want to see the most recent year, and see what happened in the most recent year and what things are up to date and so they’ll want to see the tax returns that come out in April, so rather than sort of have multiple releases of tax returns, why, we’ll wait until the tax returns for the most recent year are completed, then release them.”
During the debate tonight, Gingrich suggested that if Romney had nothing to hide, he wouldn’t wait to release his returns.
“He has to decide, if there’s nothing in there, why not release them, and if there is something in them, better to know now,” Gingrich said.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum said he didn’t think Romney’s returns are a “big deal.”
Romney went on to justify his delay in releasing his returns by suggested that it would give Democrats fodder for attack.
“Because I want to make sure that I beat President Obama,” Romney said. “And when we release things drip by drip, the Democrats attack. I pay my full taxes, I’m honest with people, I pay a lot of taxes, I’ve been very successful, and when I have my taxes ready for this year, I’ll release them.
Best Commencement Speeches of 2012 
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Will Newt open up the records on the ethics investigation from the House? I need to know what other unethical things are there.
I don’t want to have an “open” president…
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Posted by: donothaveaname | January 19, 2012, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm
Romney’s father set the nation’s historic ethical candidate standard by releasing twelve years of his personal tax returns BEFORE voters in his state decided. Despite that simple lesson in personal character and smart politics—-his son [Mitt] genuinely appears to fear ‘what’ all of America will think about him in how he took advantage of every loophole to avoid equitable taxpaying responsibilties we regular workingclass Janes and Joes, starting with Mitt only paying a 15% tax rate on millions while we 99% are made to pay 25-30% on our own measely salary rates.
If he [Mitt] did nothing wrong with how he reported his income, if he broke no laws, and was ethical as he meekly claims, then as NJ Governor and endorser of Romney,Chris Christie said of Romney—”If you have tax returns to put out, you know, you should put them out and you put them out sooner rather than later, because it’s always better, in my view, to have complete disclosure, especially when you’re the front-runner,”
Second, what a hypocrite Romney is for bashing government oversight, government assistance, when it was a then federal loan that his Bain co-founders and he applied for, accepted, and, also failed to fully pay back [they skipped out on $4 of $10 million they borrowed]. We taxpayers were left holding tha bag, paying the blance.
I lived in Massachusetts under GOP Gov. Romney when he pushed and signed MA legislation that is a policy that boosts the earnings of private medical corporations [his class level's business friends], leaving the rest of us under annual threat of being fined for not using our hard earned money to buy their company’s plans.
Now he claims he wants me to keep my money in my pocket and have a better life, his Romney-care forced individual mandate healthcare law has undermined my family’s ability to get ahead every year since it was signed into into law by him. Fact is: My state is not saving any money, but rather is losing even more money since then… to rising healthcare costs ever since he passed Romney-care.
Posted by: ajcVet | January 19, 2012, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
Is there a law that you can’t run for President unless you release your tax return? Ron Paul’s not
releasing his, and Santorum ‘can’t get to his to release them’? This is nonsense.POSTED BY:
MICHAEL ********************Although it is not required, it is one of those issues, ie. it is not
required by law for an employer to check your credit rating. You can refuse it, but doing so
makes you suspicious in that your trying to hide something. If I were Paul or Santorum, I’d start
getting them out fast, because it will come up and bit them hard. BTW, the employer would
most likely place your resume in the “incomplete file” (trash), if you didn’t follow through on their
credit rating request.
Posted by: michael | January 19, 2012, 11:07 pm 11:07 pm
This tax returns question is getting tiresome.
Mitt’s dad may have released 12 years of returns – but Mitt’s dad also ….. lost.
He was a great man but a bad politician. This is not a business that rewards forthrightness.
He spoke of his true feelings about the Vietnam war, tried to be honest, and ended up losing the nomination to…….Nixon.
If the IRS has no problem with Mitt’s tax return – then I am completely satisfied.
If the issue comes up again say, I’ve been honest, the IRS has no problem all these years, and I’ll release my ONE year’s tax returns. If you want to see more….elect me to the Presidency…I’ll release my returns each year going forward.
George H. W. Bush released 1 year of tax returns. That’s all Mitt should release – to protect himself……period.
Posted by: Romney Supporter | January 19, 2012, 11:09 pm 11:09 pm
Betcha they come in at less than 15% in taxes. Of course none of this would count Cayman money.
Posted by: lexingtonlady | January 19, 2012, 11:11 pm 11:11 pm
POSTED BY: AJCVET | JANUARY 19, 2012, ******Then you remember
when he added new words to the taxman’s dictionary….fees,fees, and
more fees. He DOUBLED license fees on everything, from dog license
fees too licenses for gunowners!!!!!! ooops, hope the
NRA didn’t hear that one! Left it to the towns to fend for themselves in
school expenditures and more.
Posted by: michael | January 19, 2012, 11:21 pm 11:21 pm
George H. W. Bush released 1 year of tax returns. That’s all Mitt should release – to protect
himself……period. ROMNEY SUPPORTER***********************WOW, talk about side tracking this
issue. George H.W. Bush was 43rd Vice President for 8 years! Golly gee, what does he
have on his tax return? Let’s see, hmmmmm. Now Mitt seems like a savvy kind of guy, If
I were him , I’d stay low on the tax radar for 2 yrs, especially when running for US PRESIDENT !!!!!
“to protect himself” ?????? From WHAT????? …The boogeyman??? LOL!!!!
Posted by: michael | January 19, 2012, 11:40 pm 11:40 pm
By not providing his tax return, people become suspicious as to his motive for keeping it (them) under raps. It matters little to me that he’s a rich guy and, as long as he didn’t do anything shady to acquire his millions, I couldn’t care less about his taxes, or how much money he has. However, what and with whom he invests should be made known in the event that they could cause a conflict of interest.
Posted by: john locke | January 19, 2012, 11:58 pm 11:58 pm
OBVIOUSLY, Mitt is hedging, and really only aims to release his yet to be filed 2011 tax returns due in April, so that he and his accountants can change any shady dealings that made it into all of his past returns. In fact, he can even do things like defer payment, on his investments, etc. , to fudge the numbers. He can’t do this on his previous returns that were already filed in years past – he will fight like crazy, not to release these ’cause he knows the youknowwhat will hit the fan (with all his offshore shenanigans, IRA irregularities, etc. This is why he keeps claiming the most recent one for 2011, is the only relevant one, wink, wink.
Posted by: Sweet Pea | January 20, 2012, 4:42 am 4:42 am
___”George H. W. Bush released 1 year of tax returns. That’s all Mitt should release – to protect himself……period.”
POSTED BY: ROMNEY SUPPORTER | JANUARY 19, 2012, 11:09 PM 11:09 PM__________Why the cover-up?
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | January 20, 2012, 4:56 am 4:56 am
Why the cover-up?
————————
The issue is a distraction from the economy, jobs, unemployment, foreign policy, balancing the budget, and other main street concerns.
Celebrating success, aspiring for success through honest endeavor and enterprise is the very basis and foundation of the American dream.
However, it is obvious that some political opponents want to turn success into a liability.
Clinton, Reagan, Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Carter, Cheney, all released 1 tax year prior to election and then every tax year during their Presidency.
That is the standard for both Democrats and Republicans.
Posted by: Romney Supporter | January 20, 2012, 5:43 am 5:43 am
Sort of like asking your neighbor to disclose his or her tax information – at this juncture it is NOYB. Only the president is required to show taxes by the public, and even this is not constitutionally required.
Posted by: IsNotRequiredByLaw | January 20, 2012, 6:40 am 6:40 am
On the releasing of info by candidates. Only release that which Obama has released.
No one has seen Obama’s college records yet. What must be written on his term paper must be so anti American that he had to seal it.
Posted by: blane | January 20, 2012, 7:36 am 7:36 am
What a bs title to this article, Romney said no such thing. This guy avoided this tax return question with no clear answer. He said he might disclose THIS year’s return if he is picked as the nominee. Well this year’s return he can have his accountants clean up to look ok. We want to see last year’s. Asked to supply multiple years of returns like his father did and he got terribly nervous and gave no answer as to what he would do.
I simply have to conclude he has something to hide, period. Romney is waaay too much of a risk anyway, completely untrustworthy.
Posted by: sjosephm | January 20, 2012, 8:44 am 8:44 am
If much of Romney’s money is parked in offshore tax havens and not invested in America, we should know. If he is running on his business record, he ought to release all tax records that show how he made his money. He doesn’t have to but after Rep. harrassed Obama for years over a birth certificate & he has released all taxes since 2002 I think Romney should be releasing taxes. If he wants to be President he should, but once he does I think it will seal his fate as the next Republican LOSER!!!
Posted by: amerrealist | January 20, 2012, 12:14 pm 12:14 pm