There’s been a great deal of outrage expressed by many people that Bernie Sanders has not released much about his Federal Tax Returns to the public. This is true. He hasn’t. For all I know he hasn’t filed his 2016 one yet (it isn’t due until April 18th this year). Or maybe he has filed it, but something deep and dark and sinister exists that will forever taint his personal and political legacy, and thus, for good reason he and his advisers have decided not to make it public. Anything is possible, I suppose.
What he has released, so far, is the first two pages of his 2015 tax return for income earned in 2014, (i.e., form 1040 without any of the schedules attached). This is what we know about the income he and his wife reported for that year, the deductions they took, and the taxes they paid. Here is the income Jane and Bernie claimed, by category, on that 2014 return:
Senate Salary: $156,441
Taxable Interest: $11
Ordinary Dividends: $2
Social Security: $39,281
Pension (Mayor): $4,982
Jane-Gov't Waste Comm: $4,900
Total Adjusted Gross Income: $205,617
Total Itemized Deductions: $56,377
Total Federal Taxes in 2014: $27,653
He didn't include Schedule A, the one that shows how he and Jane calculated their federal itemized deductions, which are listed in their return in the amount of $56,377. However, a campaign spokesperson, Michael Briggs, stated that, of that amount, Bernie and Jane gave "$8,350 to undisclosed charities." That leaves, by my math (careful, I'm dangerous with a calculator), $48,027 of deductions for which we have no specific breakdown.
However, based on past financial disclosures by Senator Sanders, we know he has a condo in Washington, D.C., with mortgage debt somewhere between $50,001 and $100,000, so interest payments on that debt no doubt make up some of the deductions claimed by Bernie and Jane Sanders. Between $2,500 - $5,000, assuming a mortgage rate of 5 percent. Still, there's a whole lot we don't know about those deductions.
We also know, from past financial disclosures, which Senator Sanders' was required to make, that Jane Sanders owns assets valued at between "$194,026-$741,030 in ... a broad combination of investment funds." Now since the Sanders' claimed only $2.00 in income from ordinary dividends, that suggests to me that most of those investments are held in tax-deferred IRAs. Or the Sanders' are lying tax cheats. Take your pick. I'm sure the IRS will be on their case if the latter is true, however.
All in all, pretty nefarious stuff, especially when you compare it to Hillary and Bill Clinton's fully disclosed 2014 tax return. It's a lot more complicated, of course, since the Clintons made (or reported) a lot more income for 2014, so I will just share with you the bare minimum information you need to know. But feel free to peruse the Clinton's 2014 tax return at your leisure, if you like that sort of thing.
Total Adjusted Gross Income: $27,946,490
Itemized Deductions: $5,159,242
Total Federal Taxes Paid: $9,981,350
Yeah, that's a lot of moolah. Not "buy an entire country" kind of money, but a decent living, or maybe a tad more than a decent living some might say. But here's the point: THEY (i.e., Hillary and Bill Clinton), unlike those sleazy grifters, Jane and Bernie Sanders, released every page of their 2014 Tax Return, all forty-four pages of them, with all the schedules and forms you could possibly want. And Hillary disclosed all her tax returns for the last EIGHT Years. Take that, you scumbag, Birdie man!
Oh sure, some will say that, yes, the Clintons earned just roughly $28 million in 2014 and $27 million in 2013, more than double the $13 million they earned in 2010, and approximately five times more than what they made in 2008 (a measly $5.5 million). But - full disclosure!
So, Senator Bernie and Ms. Jane Sanders, exactly how did you come up with that $56,377 number for your 2014 federal deductions? The people demand to know! We need to know! Why haven't you told us? Exactly what are you trying to hide, Senator?
Thank goodness, Hillary and Bill Clinton are honest and forthright people, at least when it comes to what they tell us about financial matters. And I'm sure everything else, too. Sure makes it easier for me to decide who to vote for on April 19th.
- See more at:
caucus99percent.com/...