Now maybe the DemCraps will STFU? Nah

Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, paid an effective tax rate of 14.1%
for 2011—roughly in line with other recent years—the campaign said in a
blog post aimed at defusing criticism of the wealthy candidate.

The campaign also released a letter from accountants reviewing the
Romneys’ taxes during the 20 years between 1990 and 2009. In a summary,
the campaign said that in each year during the 20-year period, the
Romneys owed both state and federal income taxes,
and paid an annual effective federal tax rate of 20.2%. The Romneys’
lowest annual effective federal personal rate during the period was
13.66%, the campaign said.

The campaign also said that the full return for 2011 would be
released around 3 p.m. EDT Friday. Previously the campaign had released
an estimate of the Romneys’ 2011 return.

The review of 20 years’ worth of tax represented an effort to counter
allegations from some Democrats—particularly Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid—that the Romneys didn’t pay tax for some years. Mr. Reid
cited an anonymous source for that charge last summer, and has declined
to identify the source or offer any evidence. Mr. Romney specifically
denied the charge soon after, but has declined to release tax returns from prior years.

The Romneys have said that their reluctance to release more tax
returns stems from a desire to avoid giving Democrats and their allies
more fodder for criticism.

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