Why won't Mitt Romney make his tax returns public?

CSM ^ | 10/26/11 | David Grant

[freespirited]

Rick Perry wants Mitt Romney to cough up his form 1040s (that’s the US individual tax return document). The Romney camp demurred, saying they would consider doing so next year. (Remarkably, Romney has NEVER released, even during his governorship of Massachusetts.)

Why won’t Romney do it? Speculation, from liberal group ThinkProgress and others, is that Romney pays a way lower tax rate than many Americans because of his extensive financial investments, from which income is typically taxed below that of regular income. One left-leaning analyst speculates Romney paid an effective tax rate as low as 14 percent on his $6.6 million to $40 million in income. (The range is so wide because of the imprecise nature of Romney’s very limited disclosures.)

To put that in perspective: In 2011, a married couple filing together would have to make under $69,000 to have their top tax rate be 15 percent. Uber-rich Warren Buffett says he pays 17 percent in taxes....

if predictions about Mitt Romney’s tax situation are true, he would have to go in front of ordinary Americans at every debate, town hall and rope line saying he was looking out for their interests while paying a vastly lower amount of his substantial wealth in taxes.

Perry - who paid 23.4 percent of his 2010 income of a bit north of $200,000 to the federal government - is no doubt hoping Romney’s tax return would write the attack lines for him.

[katiedidit1]

Bain!!!!!!!!!! the other candidates are releasing theirs...Romney is hiding something. No doubt about it.