Ethics

Romney Never Paid Less Than 13 Percent. Maybe. Probably. Who Knows?

Let's listen to Mitt Romney assure America that he has never paid less than 13 percent in taxes.

The problem, Mitt, is that 13 percent is already significantly less than your average American pays. Americans whose incomes would literally fit in your pocket. The average American also does not have the luxury of donating significant portions of their income to charity. Claiming you do so doesn't absolve you from the burdens of citizenship either.

While we're on the subject, Mitt Romney's charitable donations includes the 10 percent of his income he must tithe as required by the Mormon church.

And a word missing from Romney's statement is "income." He did not say he never paid less than 13 percent in "income taxes." He can't say that.

What Romney will not admit, and the reason he will not release his tax returns, is that he pays taxes on capital gains but not on income. And you don't have to take my word for it. Romney said hes "unemployed too" during a campaign stop in Florida last summer.

The Ryan/Romney budget conveniently eliminates taxes on capital gains.