Romney Not Inclined to Release Tax Return If He Wins Nomination

[UpInArms]

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-23/romney-not-inclined-to-release-tax-return-if-he-wins-nomination.html

Mitt Romney, a multimillionaire who is by far the wealthiest of the Republican presidential candidates, said he has no plans to release his income tax returns if he wins his party’s nomination.

Romney, whose most recent disclosure in August estimated his personal wealth as high as $250 million, said yesterday he had already released extensive financial information and had no “current plans” to make his tax returns public.

If the former Massachusetts governor wins the nomination and sticks to his plan, he would be one of the only presidential nominees in the last three decades to withhold his income tax return. While income tax information is private and there is no legal obligation to disclose it, presidents and nominees for the office have done so routinely since the 1970s.

“We follow the tax laws, and if there’s an opportunity to save taxes, we -- like everybody else in this country -- will follow that opportunity,” Romney told reporters in Lancaster, New Hampshire, according to a partial transcript of his remarks provided by his campaign.

[MADem]

1. Of course not--he was a total poop when he was running for MA GOV, too.

People will dig, though, and they'll find out. He'll be sorry--he'd be better off just doing a dump, getting it over with, and moving on.

Unless, of course, there's some really "interesting" shit on that return!!! Like money moved offshore, extensive China investments, stuff that makes it evident that he is working against the American worker (as if we already didn't know).

When people don't follow the paradigm--and releasing tax returns IS a presidential candidate's paradigm--they call attention to themselves.

He won't be able to keep brushing this aside.

[monmouth]

6. Didn't the donald say the same thing? If Romney means this then I view him as an un-serious

candidate. Whether repub or not, I want to know what his tax return says. Offshore accounts, etc. as you stated, what's he hiding?

[MADem]

8. Probably. Donald's probably not as rich as he pretends to be, which is why he wouldn't want anyone

to know!

As for Mittsy, he's just begging for trouble. He's asking to be pounded like raw chicken for marsala by the media!

They won't let it go, especially because he'll get wet-hennish and defensive about it and that makes for good copy and video.

He's no George Bush, who could say "I ain't talking 'bout no drug use" and get away with it. He doesn't have the media connections and can't pull strings with NBC, Faux, ABC, CBS, et. al.

He's making himself a target and is too obtuse and blindered to see it--at least now. Maybe he'll realize he has a problem and try to get away with a "summary" of his return....we'll see!

It's all good, though--make him spin, make him sweat!

[usrname]

16. Ding! Ding! Ding!

You know exactly why the Donald is so willing to whore himself to any publicity that involves getting paid.

As for Mitt, his position as the defender of the 1% makes his evasion inexcusable.

When you mentioned how Bush avoided talking about drug use, that's reasonable. Although there was plenty of hearsay and innuendo that Bush was a drug user, he apparently had cleaned up since then and distanced himself from that lifestyle. If he were an active drug pusher and user and was asked about his drug use and then brushed it off, that would be more in line with what Mitt is doing here.

[karynnj]

12. Good advice to him

The fact is that this is now standard. Every presidential nominee has done so for years. The longer he waits, the more interest the media will have. As to moving jobs overseas, in his case, he is already accused of ACTIVELY having been involved in advising companies to do that - so passively investing in companies that do that is not really anything other than being consistent.

I hope he waits until much closer to the election if he is the nominee. If he put everything out now, it would get lost in the Republican circus this per-primary season has been. It would then be treated as "old news" and not covered much - if at all - in the general election.

As it is, he can easily be cast as the real life cleaned up "Gordon Gekko" at a time where the approval rating of Wall Street is at an epic low. That image is real and is as much a part of who he is as the image of him with his wife of 40 plus years and his clean cut good looking sons. (The Kennedy ad with the Hoosier workers laid off after Bain Capital took over their company was incredibly affecting. That he was a wealth creator (for the top 1%), not a job creator comes through - and can not really be countered by showing companies he helped to create jobs.)

[oldhippydude]

20. this will be

Like Obama's birth certificate.. except this will be real.. we need to keep hounding him in the general..

[mazzarro]

2. Oh then - let the speculations begin!

And dems had better come up with all types unfavorable speculations they can dream of and have Romney answering then from morning-till-night, every day for the rest of 2012.

[Old and In the Way]

4. I heard he paid no taxes on income from his buyout at bain.

Five years running.

[MADem]

9. What fun!! What could he be invested in?

Gambling casinos and prostitution houses in Nevada?

Liquor companies?

Coca-cola and Folger's Coffee stock?

This could get very amusing, indeed!

[oldhippydude]

21. dont be suprised if that is true

the mormon church actually at one time did have coca-cola stock.. they have exstensive holdings mostly in the west.. while the faith discourages the use of certain products, when theres money to be made follow the money..

you know as i was typing this something else just hit me like a brick... mormons are expected to tithe, in many comunities the bishop comes around like a bill collector.. wondering perhaps if Willard is not behind in his religous duty!!

[MADem]

22. I'm sure they'd love to get their paws on ten percent of his goodies!

And I'll bet the basstids are lucky if they get one tenth of one percent!

[russspeakeasy]

10. Exactly . I'm making up my own as we speak.

[Kingofalldems]

3. I bet you $10,000 he doesn't

[DesertRat]

15. LOL Good one, King!

[Enrique]

5. he's worried it would look bad

[DesertRat]

13. Omg, what is that picture from?

[Enrique]

18. his Bain Capital days

you'll be seeing it again, in Obama ads for example.

[DesertRat]

19. Thanks

That's what I was thinking...great ad material!

[valerief]

7. He's even more dickish because of this. nt

[global1]

11. No Tax Return Disclosure - No Nomination - No Presidency.......

it's that simple. Any presidential candidate should be required to release their tax forms. They don't release them it means they are hiding something from the American people. There should be complete transparency if one wants to be president.

[DesertRat]

14. Right on, tax returns and birth certificates. Both should be required.

[DissedByBush]

17. Well, I'm not inclined to vote for the moron

So I guess we're equal.

[Godot51]

23. Unemployed...

Oh, don't pick on poor little Mitt. He's unemployed and a member of the "Mittle" class...

[fascisthunter]

24. as much as I get upset at Politicians in my party

I am absolutely disgusted with republicans. They truly are unamerican pieces of fascist shit.

[NewJeffCT]

25. He got a tax deduction for the personality removal?

is that what he's hiding?

[yellerpup]

29. He probably pays no taxes

or less than the average minimum wage earner percentage wise.

[JDPriestly]

26. He probably does not want non-Mormons to know how insanely much he gives

to his church. He probably gives 10% of his income -- tax free of course.

And he might fear that he would set off questions about what the Mormon Church does with the tithes it gets from its members.

Also, he might not want people to know what other charitable organizations he gives to.

To say nothing of course of what has already been mentioned -- tax shelters, etc. Probably a lot to hide.

[freshwest]

27. 'Not inclined?' I didn't realize it was optional, color me clueless.

[TomCADem]

30. Amazing isn't it. Talk about a free pass...

Romney is the poster boy for the 1 percent and he decides to hide his financial affairs.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

28. I'm sure that there will be pressure for him to release them

Mr. 1%