Romney Campaign Press Release - What They're Saying: Mitt & Ann Romney's Tax Returns

Senator John McCain: "An Incredibly Detailed Look At His Finances. ... It's Time To Get Back To Discussing The Issues That Voters Care About." "Mitt Romney has now released more than 1,200 pages of tax returns, giving voters an incredibly detailed look at his finances. Now that the most recent tax return has been released, it's time to get back to discussing the issues that voters care about. While President Obama and Democrats will try to distract voters, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are focused on fixing the economy, getting Americans back to work and ensuring a better future for our children and grandchildren." (Senator John McCain, Press Release, 9/21/12)

Governor Bob McDonnell: "It's Time For Us To Discuss The Real Choice Facing Voters This Year. ... We Cannot Afford Four More Years Of The Obama Economy..." "It's time for us to discuss the real choice facing voters this year. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are running to get America creating wealth again, while President Obama is running to redistribute wealth. We cannot afford four more years of the Obama economy, and I look forward to carrying that message to voters over these next weeks." (Governor Bob McDonnell, Press Release, 9/21/12)

The Wall Street Journal's John McKinnon: "Very Large Gifts To Charity... Substantial Charitable Gifts..." "The Romneys' tax rate also was lowered by very large gifts to charity—more than $4 million in all, the campaign said. That resulted in a deduction of $2.25 million. To reduce the impact of their substantial charitable gifts on their 2011 tax rate, the Romneys 'limited their deduction of charitable contributions,' the blog post said." (John McKinnon, "Romney Releases More Tax Details," The Wall Street Journal, 9/21/12)

CNN Money's Jeanne Sahadi: "Romney's Effective Federal Income Tax Rate Is Still Higher Than That Of Most Americans..."  "But contrary to popular perception, Romney's effective federal income tax rate is still higher than that of most Americans -- 80% of whom have an effective rate below 15%." (Jeanne Sahadi, "Romney Paid 14% Effective Tax Rate In 2011," CNN Money, 9/21/12)

Fox News: "The Romneys Donated About $4 Million To Charity In 2011, Or About 30 Percent Of Their Income..." "The Romneys donated about $4 million to charity in 2011, or about 30 percent of their income, according to the campaign, which plans to release the documents at 3 p.m. ET." ("Campaign Says Romney's Average Effective Tax Rate Was 20 Percent Over 2 Decades," Fox News, 9/21/12)

Fox News' Brit Hume: "So Romney Gave Away 30% Of His Income And Overpaid His Taxes. The Left Sees This As Further Evidence He's Terrible." (Twitter.com, 9/21/12)

CNBC Contributor James Pethokoukis: "Wait, Is Romney Addicted To Charitable Giving!" (Twitter.com, 9/21/12)

Politico's Josh Gerstein: "Romney Was Far More Generous To Charities Than President Barack Obama Or Vice President Joe Biden Last Year, Both In Dollar Terms And As A Percentage Of Income..." "Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was far more generous to charities than President Barack Obama or Vice President Joe Biden last year, both in dollar terms and as a percentage of income, tax return data Romney's campaign released Friday indicate." (Josh Gerstein, "Mitt Romney Gives More To Charity Than President Obama, Joe Biden," Politico, 9/21/12)

The Wall Street Journal's Matthew Rose: "The Romneys' Adjusted Gross Income, Over The 20-Year Period Being Counted, That Went To Federal And State Taxes Plus Charitable Contributions ... [Is] A Lot, By Any Measure..." "One notable number in the excerpts the campaign posted is 38.49%. That's proportion of the Romneys' adjusted gross income, over the 20-year period being counted, that went to federal and state taxes plus charitable contributions (at least the charitable contributions they deducted.) That's a lot, by any measure, especially given the relatively low effective federal income tax rate the couple pay." (Matthew Rose, "Live Audit: The Romney Tax Documents," The Wall Street Journal, 9/21/12)

The Washington Post's Brad Plummer: "It Appears That Harry Reid's Infamous Source Alleging That Romney Paid Nothing In Taxes For 10 Years Was Wrong." "Meanwhile, at first glance, it appears that Harry Reid's infamous source alleging that Romney paid nothing in taxes for 10 years was wrong." (Brad Plummer, "Mitt Romney Is Paying... Too Much In Taxes?" The Washington Post, 9/21/12)

NBC News: "[Romney] Went A Step Further Than Was Previously Anticipated In Releasing A Certified Summary Of His Tax Returns Over A Two-Decade Period ... The Romneys Gave An Average 13.45 Percent Of Their Adjusted Gross Income To Charity Each Year." "Romney made good on its [sic] pledge to release his tax returns from 2011 before the election, and went a step further than was previously anticipated in releasing a certified summary of his tax returns over a two-decade period preceding 2010. ... The letter, the campaign said, would show their average effective tax rate over that 20-year period was 20.20 percent, and there was no year in which the Romney's paid a lower effective federal personal tax rate than 13.66 percent. Moreover, the Romneys gave an average 13.45 percent of their adjusted gross income to charity each year." (Michael O'Brien, "Romney Paid 14.1 Percent Effective Tax Rate In 2011," NBC News, 9/21/12)