http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/04/15/sen-bernie-sanders-releases-tax-returns-2014/83074944/Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife, following pressure from Democratic presidential campaign rival Hillary Clinton, released their full 2014 federal tax return on Friday, showing a combined income of more than $205,000.
Sanders released summaries of the couple's 2014 federal and state returns in June. Friday’s release included the federal return's attached schedules and offered more background on the couple’s finances, including charitable gifts of $8,350. Sanders pledged during Thursday's heated debate with Clinton to release earlier returns at a later date.
Sanders and his wife, Jane, paid $27,653 in federal income taxes and $7,903 in Vermont income taxes in 2014. Their income is largely derived from Sanders’ Senate salary of $174,000 and Social Security benefits.
Sanders has been under pressure for weeks to release his returns. Clinton raised the issue during the debate to counter questions about why she won’t release transcripts of her paid speeches to Goldman Sachs. Clinton received $675,000 for speeches to the company in 2013, according to her own disclosure.
“There is a longstanding expectation that everybody running release their tax returns, and you can go to my website and see eight years of tax returns,” she said. “And I've released 30 years of tax returns. And I think every candidate, including Sen. Sanders and Donald Trump, should do the same.”
In announcing he would release his tax return, Sanders said no one should get excited about them.
“They are very boring tax returns,” he said. “No big money from speeches, no major investments. Unfortunately -- unfortunately, I remain one of the poorer members of the United States Senate.”
Sanders, explaining the delay in releasing the returns, said his wife prepares the taxes and “we've been a little bit busy lately. You'll excuse us.”
Clinton fired back: “Well, you know, there are a lot of copy machines around.”
Like other members of Congress, Sanders is required to report his personal finances annually. His latest report for calendar year 2014 shows $25,002 to $65,000 in revolving debt on his Visa credit cards last year, mortgages for homes in Vermont and the District of Columbia, and an initial mortgage for a relative. The report shows no stock in his name.
Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said in June that the credit card debt included weddings for his daughter and niece in the past year, but that Sanders had brought the balance back down to zero.
Clinton released her tax returns, filed jointly with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in July. They show the couple earned just over $28 million in 2014 and $27 million in 2013, more than double the $13 million they earned in 2010, when she was still serving as secretary of state. The 2014 total included $10.5 million in speaking fees for Hillary Clinton, $9.8 million in speaking fees for the former president, and $6.4 million he earned from "consulting."
In a statement, Hillary Clinton noted the family had given $15 million to charity since 2007. The tax returns show $14.8 million of that went to the Clinton Family Foundation. Clinton said the couple has paid $43.9 million in federal taxes since 2007, and that last year they paid an effective rate of 35.7%.
