Romney Demands Higher Taxes, Ignores His Own Tax Haven History
But let's be clear: this isn't a Damascene conversion. This is Mitt Romney, the man whose 2011 tax returns revealed an effective tax rate of just 13.9% on $20.9 million in income, thanks to clever accounting and investment income loopholes. The Hill reports his call for higher taxes, omitting the delicious irony that he himself has been a master of avoiding them. (And yes, we remember 'binders
full of women' and the 47% comment.) One might wonder if this sudden concern for wealth distribution conveniently resurfaces when one's political ambitions need a fresh coat of 'statesman' paint, far removed from the cold, hard numbers of their past. How many more op-eds will we endure from those who perfected tax avoidance, only to preach fiscal virtue? Perhaps the next op-ed can be on how to
efficiently transfer your wealth to offshore accounts, a topic with which he's intimately familiar.