How you’re paying Mitt Romney’s taxes (which he’s keeping secret)

Romney "Money" Photo with "All Your Wealth Are Belong To Us."

So, did you enjoy paying your taxes by yesterday’s deadline? Whether you did or you didn’t, you’ll want to check this out:

That’s how Mitt Romney pays a lower tax rate than most people.

Would you like to know how much Romney paid this years in taxes? Maybe you will — but not right away, because he took an extension on his taxes. This is almost surely not because his taxes weren’t done — after all, Romney had to pay the taxes by yesterday’s deadline (or else pay a penalty) and he has people for the “doing them” part. It’s very likely a political calculation. The returns will, I predict, be released before the November election (so as to blunt their impact), but he’s going to find the perfect time to release them so that they’ll get the least notice and be “old news” before anyone talks about them on a normal news day.

My guess for when Romney’s 2011 will be released? Roughly 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, May 25 — the day that people depart for Memorial Day weekend. You don’t get any more news-dumpy than that between now and the Republican Convention.

Unfortunately, if it happens then I won’t be able to claim to be precognitive — just cynical about Mitt.


About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)