Obama campaign gets ready to play: “TAX RETURNS: What does Clinton have to hide?”
The Clinton campaign has said that they have released copious amounts of financial information but there are many questions about their private dealings that could be answered in their tax returns but not in the information that is currently available. For example, here are eight pieces of information that could be learned from her tax returns, the accompanying schedules, and attachments:
- Effective tax rate — including whether or not any tax shelters were used to reduce it
- Amount of income for spouses by source
- Amount of stock gains and losses
- Gross income for the couple
- Amount earned from stock dividends
- Amount of household employment taxes paid
- Personal exemptions taken
- Charitable contributions made
Senator Clinton has also claimed that she is too “busy” to release her tax returns. Given the fact she is able to loan her campaign $5 million, you would think the Clintons would be able to hire an accountant. The reality is that she wants to keep this information hidden from voters. The people of Wyoming, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and the rest of the country should wonder why.
More to the point, I would think, given that the campaign has self-financed to the tune of $5 million it would seem to me that we want to scrutinize Bill’s various business partners and other income streams in much the way you would any other campaign finance documents. Surely the vetted, tested candidate can stand a little sunshine on her multimillionaire lifestyle.