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Mittens is in a lot of hot water about his timeline with Bain Capital and his myriad tax shelters. There are new GOP calls for him to release his tax returns.
Democrats have been making hay out of Mitt Romney’s finances for weeks, claiming that voters can’t fairly judge reported assets in notorious tax havens unless he releases his past tax returns. A handful of Republicans appear to be growing concerned that Romney is giving them room to operate.
On Thursday, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), who heads all House GOP campaign efforts, told reporters that questions about Romney’s holdings were on target, according to CNN.
“His personal finances, the way he does things, his record, are fair game,” Sessions said. While he declined to name a specific amount of information or number of years’ worth of tax returns Romney should release, he called the issue a “legitimate question.” Romney has only released his 2010 tax return and had said he will release his 2011 return before the election.
I’m still savoring his preposterous performance art at the NAACP convention.
While many Americans struggle paycheck to paycheck, paying regressive sales taxes and sees a big hunk of their tax burden sucked right out of those paychecks, it’s hard for Romney — in the 1% with the means and opportunity to take advantage of the tax code to avoid paying what he technically owes — to be credible at all. He in essence pays proportionately less taxes than most of those sitting in that audience that he intimates loves “freeloading” on taxpayer-funded programs.
This entertaining graphic about Mitt and his hypocri$y is viral on social media.
The back story on Willard’s horse, via DKos:
The Romneys declared a loss of $77,000 on their 2010 tax returns for the share in the care and feeding of Rafalca, which Mrs. Romney owns with Mr. Ebeling’s wife, Amy, and a family friend, Beth Meyers.
Notice: Romney’s 1/3 ownership of the dancing horse gave rise to a $77,000.00 Tax Deduction — at a time when America is paying its Debt on Two Wars I don’t think Americans should be subsidizing Romney’s, apparently, very needy horse.
24 Comments
Mittens will claim dancing horses are employers and provide jobs.
If Mitt Romney can’t help pay for the wars he will send our kids too he can’t be president.
Could we possibly be in any more war than we currently are?
I knew Pete Sessions was stupid but this is hilarious! He’s concerned that Willard is “giving them, (the Democrats), room to operate” and releasing his tax returns would be the cure for that? I guess so…instead of “room to operate” such a release would give them hard facts to throw back at him, instead of a whole lot of very compelling but ultimately unproven suspicions. I guess when you’re the 1% though, there’s nothing wrong with offshoring, outsourcing and tax dodging.
It’s about calling him out for his 1% elite hypocrisy. Not about getting into more wars.
This should be something that resonates with the military.
To write this $77,000 off it has to have been a business investment, not a hobby. Are we to believe that? Does the IRS believe that? You’re upset because it seems crass, I’m upset because it seems fraudlent.
Have not seen any estimates of the numbers of people who are showing up at “whistle stop” appearances to see Mitt – or Obama either. Mitt seems to be having only big dollar dinners for the un-common people. Has he given up his grits and gravy pop-ins?
Well, don’t the Romneys pay for a trainer and rider? Hey, two whole –well, maybe part time– jobs, babeeeee!!
Gotta count for something, right?
Yes, we could.
And I don’t see Obama making all that much effort to limit his arenas of war-like activities. Eg: Mali, Syria, Iran, Yemen (good grief, poor Yemen). I imagine lots of people in Pakistan view Obama as being at war with them.
I figure given his penchant for secrecy there are plenty more.
How many years’ worth of tax returns did Mittens provide John McCain? 12, 13? Did John choose LameBrain Sarah because she brought excitement and glamour? Or were Romney’s tax returns so revelatory of elitism/loophole-ism that John just couldn’t stomach the predictable outcry? (Or maybe the magic underwear was the turn-off?)
Book Salon up with Stephen Goldstein’s Atlas Drugged: Ayn Rand Be Damned! (novel) hosted by Nicole Sandler
Do you think Romney is a criminal because of Bain SEC document ? Criminal vs Lair, but not a criminal http://shar.es/t4BzZ
Which presidential candidate is best for our country overall? Romney vs Obama — http://shar.es/t4BMV
Which candidate incites more voter confidence for economy? Romney vs Obama — http://shar.es/t4T1a
I carry no brief for Obama, who has failed us utterly. But I am starting to experience a glimmering hope that Rmoney may become liability enough that he hurts downticket Repubs, helps get us a Democratic Senate. . . the slender possibility of a more emboldened Democratic Party and more progressive legislation.
When other Republicans start inching away from their candidate (who they were not super-keen on to begin with). . .
*That ‘America, America’ ad is MONEY, btw, and in the best progressive way. Whether Obama plays the plutocrat card against Romney for cynical reasons or not, it galvanizes people to be angry in THE WAY THEY SHOULD BE.
“More GOP calls for Romney to…”
I think any republican with a thimbleful of gray matter will be delighted to have another 4 years of what we’ve already had from Barack Obama.
There has never been a presidential election in which the republicans have had this kind of a win-win situation.
Obama has done practically nothing to mount the salvage operation we so badly needed, instead, he’s zealously protected the corporate status quo. Another 4 years of it will have us tap-dancing on the razor edge of 1929 redux…and I think the GOP will be a lot happier to have that going on with a democrat in the White House to point to; especially, a “librul/socialist” like Obama.
“Could we possibly be in any more war than we currently are?”
You bet we can. That little 4 letter word, “Iran”, comes to mind instantly. Of course, it won’t happen pre-election, but in 2013, I think it’s a coin-toss as to which is more likely to pull that particular trigger; Obama or Romney.
Was this a tax deduction or a tax credit? A tax deduction reduces the amount of income that is subject to tax. A tax credit is far more valuable because it reduces, directly, the amount of tax paid.
We need to eliminate the tax credits given corporations. These are responsible for many prosperous companies, such as GE, paying a negative tax rate. It would not surprise me if Mitt managed to get tax credits for his wife’s hobby.
Incidentally, in a week the price for a gallon of regular has gone from $2.85 to $3.05 at the nearest gas station to me, here in Myrtle Beach.
Don’t know if this is “the marketplace”, or manipulation, or both, but it aint good news.
It’s early yet. We’ll see where the next bounce goes.
This diary would be better if it aimed at the right target. The issue here isn’t Romney taking legal deductions under the tax code. The issue is the tax code that makes these deductions and tax avoidance strategies legal.
Do you try to take all the deductions you’re entitled to under the tax code? Then why blame someone else for doing the same?
Silly season is upon us…
Ann Romney also deducts the costs of her horses as “equine therapy” for her MS. Try doing that with some experimental cancer treatments. And they get tax credits, not deductions. So the 77K comes right off their tax bill, not AGI. Most people do not know exactly how much of the tax code is a gift to the super rich. That is why Romney refuses to show his returns. He could never defend himself against the outrage when most of this country just lost 60% of their wealth.
Hmmm. My next door neighbor is a horse person, is trying for the Olympics in the same sport as is willard’s horse. willard’s horse has made me more aware of the sport and the players, in this case Anne romney and my next door neighbor. My neighbor is a lovely person (she laughs at my jokes, but then she laughs at everybodys’ jokes} she told me a little about it. romney’s horse Rafalca (I think) is 16 years old, so won’t engage much more. The United States has many Olympic quality riders but few horses, and there is concern in that regard. This sport is incredibly expensive, and requires the expenditure of vast resources to compete (my opinion). I might look at it that willard has spent the money to give the world a last look at a magnificent animal, and maybe win a gold medal. But more importantly, willard is using the tax code for something it was designed to do, to aid an endeavor that is beneficial to the United States. Something willard is decidedly against (I mean the tax code). Who would have thought?
“I think any republican with a thimbleful of gray matter will be delighted to have another 4 years of what we’ve already had from Barack Obama.”
Indeed. He’s a Republican wet dream. Obama the Good Cop has a whole lot of utility left in his public visage.
“There has never been a presidential election in which the republicans have had this kind of a win-win situation.”
Clinton? Kerry? Gore?
All right, he got a tax break on the horse. But did he put it on top of his car?
Horses are people too my friend.
Frankly, all this BS about Romney’s tax returns is a big distraction. We already know what’s in those returns–the same stuff all the vulture capitalists have in theirs. Capitalism is corrupt. We know that. More important is what did Obama do about it when he had the chance to make a difference? Nada. And why isn’t anyone talking about the new Pontius Pilate powers Obama has given himself? Judge , Jury and executioner he is. I thought we lived in a Democracy , not a dictatorship.