Newt Gingrich Paid 31 Percent Tax Rate in 2010
EmailNewt Gingrich said today that he paid a 31 percent tax rate in 2010 and plans to release his tax returns for 2010 Thursday, followed by the 2011 documents.
“We can confirm that I paid a 31 percent rate, and although let me be clear, the 21st century Contract With America has an optional 15 percent for every American,” Gingrich said at a press availability in South Carolina. “My goal is not to raise Mitt Romney’s taxes. It’s to let everybody pay Mitt Romney’s rate. And so I’m not going to criticize Mitt Romney. I’m going to say, shouldn’t we all have the option of a flat tax at the same rate he was paying.”
Gingrich’s taxes were in line with the total effective federal tax rate, which was 31.2 percent in 2010 for top 1 percent of taxpayers.
The former House speaker said his campaign went through his documents three times to make sure he paid a 31 percent rate, but said he would need to check whether that was only federal or both federal and state taxes.
“We’re pulling together the documents,” he added. “We hope to get it out sometime tomorrow. … And we’ll release 2011 as soon as we put it together.”
When asked what he earned, Gingrich said he did not know.
The former congressman divulged his tax returns after chief rival Mitt Romney revealed Tuesday that his effective tax rate is “closer to 15 percent.”
Romney is under fire by his rivals – and has even been urged by his surrogates such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – to release his tax returns. The former Massachusetts governor said in Monday night’s debate that he will do so in April.
Gingrich, who has gained some momentum after the Fox News-Wall Street Journal debate, also said today that it would be helpful if Rick Santorum and Rick Perry dropped out of the race.
Gingrich has suggested that voting for either would only boost Romney because neither of them can win.
Santorum has dismissed those claims, pointing to his No. 2 finish in the Iowa caucuses, where he lost to Romney by eight votes, and his tie with Gingrich in the New Hampshire primary.
ABC News’ Huma Khan contributed to this report.
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“Gingrich’s taxes were in line with the total effective federal tax rate, which was 31.2 percent in 2010 for top 1 percent of taxpayers.”
Doesn’t that just fly in the faces of all those people that claim the top 1% doesn’t pay taxes.
Posted by: kate | January 18, 2012, 11:23 am 11:23 am
Newt says he isn’t criticizing Mitt, but he is trying to get votes by showing he paid more in taxes than Mitt did. Talk about mud wrestling; definitely not a pretty sight.
Posted by: sameagain | January 18, 2012, 11:29 am 11:29 am
Funny, but I’m in the bottom 99 and 40% of my money goes to taxes. You got state, federal, consumption sales, excise, taxes on services, taxes on fuel, taxes on car tags, not to mention miscellaneous fees.
Perhaps if we got out of so many expensive wars we wouldn’t need to tax the middle class and the poor so much. Who cares about rich people. Even when the income tax rate was 90% they never suffered.
Posted by: Rick | January 18, 2012, 11:38 am 11:38 am
Is that the one meant for press release? What about the one that he actually files?
Posted by: howdymo1 | January 18, 2012, 11:42 am 11:42 am
What portion of his total income was not included in this statement, eh?
Posted by: Lee | January 18, 2012, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm
kate wrote: “Gingrich’s taxes were in line with the total effective federal tax rate, which was 31.2 percent in 2010 for top 1 percent of taxpayers.” Doesn’t that just fly in the faces of all those people that claim the top 1% doesn’t pay taxes. +++++ Kate, by the same argument, one could eat a mushroom and live and say, “Doesn’t that fly in the faces of all those people who say there are poisonous mushrooms?” Besides, how much of Gingrich’s income is tax sheltered and doesn’t appear on his tax forms? Secondly, if Gingrich was considering running, did he pay more in taxes than he normally does? Third, Warren Buffett, who earned more in 2009 than almost everyone on the planet said he pays at a lower rate than his secretary and knows of NO very high income individual where it’s different. I think he knows more about it than you do.
Posted by: The_Mick | January 18, 2012, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm
“Gingrich’s taxes were in line with the total effective federal tax rate, which was 31.2 percent in 2010 for top 1 percent of taxpayers.”
—- So, how exactly is that group accounted for? It clearly says, the top 1 percent of taxpayers, not the top 1% of eligible taxpayers (there are some that pay no tax just like on the bottom end). I know we are talking about individual tax payers, but to be so naive that there are not loopholes to get out of being in the top 1% OF TAXPAYERS is ridiculous. GE paid no tax, you don’t think it happens in the private sector?
Posted by: overandover | January 18, 2012, 1:09 pm 1:09 pm
It’s fun to watch this exchange, which is nice because it is solely for the benefit of sheepish voters and has nothing to do with what they’ll do or how they might be fit as president. Everybody supposedly pays taxes right? So why is it a virtue if they paid taxes, regardless of the rate? It doesn’t mean anything. The only thing of any interest about a tax return is WHERE they get their money and HOW MUCH they got, which is not being revealed. They’re just jiving the voters, dodging the issues, and probably chuckling between themselves about the whole stupid episode.
Posted by: sameagain | January 18, 2012, 1:12 pm 1:12 pm
Mitt only paid 15%? This should tell everyone that our tax laws need a major overhaul…while that is half of what Newt paid, it was probably legal…which only goes to show how messed up our tax code is…we badly need a flat tax rate…with no deductions…period…so everyone pays their fair share and that’s a PERCENTAGE for all you morons out there who don’t understand what fair share means with percentage…
Posted by: RalphF | January 18, 2012, 1:28 pm 1:28 pm
Rick…The MARGINAL rate was 90%. Do you think maybe you’d suffer a little bit if you actually gave the US government 90% of everything you made? Do some research, dude.
Posted by: s | January 18, 2012, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm
Tax capital gains like income from wages and you will gut everyone who has a retirement plan. Captial gains and wages are too different things. You ant to pay what the rich pay fine, 15% flat tax, no write offs no deductions, rich, poor, capital gains, wages. It won’t matter because you will be paying the same as the rich.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | January 18, 2012, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm
Better yet stop paying taxes in protest, change your form to take out the least of your paycheck, and then don’t bother paying what you owe. IF you feel it is that unfair actually do something.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | January 18, 2012, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
SNEWSON2997, will you visit me in Leavanworth when i stop paying my taxes?
Posted by: DontUnderstand | January 18, 2012, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm