Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton just released her tax returns from the past seven years, filling out her public financial history dating back decades as first lady, senator, and secretary of state.
The move will put pressure on her rivals for the White House to release their own documents. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a Republican candidate, released tax returns dating back to 1981 last month. Candidates from both parties are trying to avoid the fate of Mitt Romney, the 2012 candidate whose delay in releasing financial information became a controversy last time around.
Here’s a first pass at what we’ve found in Clinton’s newly released tax returns, filed jointly with her husband, former president Bill Clinton:
The Clintons reported income of $140.8 million from 2007 to 2014, mostly from Bill’s six-figure speaking fees, though Hillary began raking it in, too, after leaving president Obama’s cabinet in 2013.
One of the biggest speaking fees? Amway paid Bill $700,000 to come to this wild event in Osaka, Japan:
The Clintons paid $43,885,310 in federal taxes since 2007, for an effective federal tax rate of 31%. They also paid $13.6 million in state and local taxes over that period. Last year, their combined federal, state, and local effective tax rate was 45.8%.
The Clintons contributed 10.8% of their income to charity, some $14,959,450 in charitable donations since 2007.
This release comes fairly early in the election season—there won’t be any voting until 2016—but the Clintons have been scrutinized political figures for so long that we expect few surprises. All told, the couple have disclosed financial data since 1977. The Clinton campaign likely wants to leverage this early release to force rivals for the White House to put out their own disclosures out as soon as possible, revealing potentially uncomfortable information.
Regardless, their political opponents will use this report to tie the Clintons to controversial industries: Hillary received $675,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs in 2013, for instance. The financial disclosure included a statement from the candidate reminding voters of her plans to close tax loopholes used by the finance industry and ensure that the wealthy pay at least as high taxes as low-income workers.
The disclosures also include a letter from Hillary’s physician, noting that the 67 year-old candidate is in robust health, that her father and mother lived into their 80s and 90s, respectively, and that she takes the popular drug Coumadin to treat blood clots.
Hillary’s doctor also wrote, “She eats a diet rich in lean proteins, fruits and vegetables.”