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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) debates Hillary Clinton in Brooklyn, N.Y. on April 14, 2016.(Photo: Photo by Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife, following<span style="color: Red;">*</span>pressure from Democratic presidential campaign rival Hillary Clinton,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>released their full 2014 federal tax return<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on Friday,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>showing a combined income of more than $205,000, .
Sanders released summaries of the couple's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>2014 federal and state<span style="color: Red;">*</span>returns<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in June. Friday’s release included the federal return's attached schedules and offered<span style="color: Red;">*</span>more background on the couple’s finances, including charitable gifts of $8,350. Sanders pledged during Thursday's heated<span style="color: Red;">*</span>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<span style="color: Red;">*</span>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.
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“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<span style="color: Red;">*</span>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<span style="color: Red;">*</span>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.”
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton looks on during a debate watch party at Steiner Studios on April 14, 2016 in New York City.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: (Photo by Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
Like other members of Congress, Sanders is required to report <span style="color: Red;">*</span>his personal finances<span style="color: Red;">*</span>annually. His latest report for calendar year 2014 shows<span style="color: Red;">*</span>$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.
USA TODAY
Clinton income doubled since 2010, tax docs show
Clinton released her tax returns, filed jointly with her husband, former President Bill Clinton,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>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<span style="color: Red;">*</span>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%.
Contributing: Donovan Slack and Paul Singer, USA TODAY
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