Middle Class Santorum Releases 4 Years of Tax Returns

Records bare rise in media, consulting fees, nearly double Romney's rate

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff
Posted Feb 16, 2012

(Newser) – Rick Santorum has released four years of his tax returns to Politico, and they show that while his income falls a long way short of Mitt Romney's or Newt Gingrich's, his Washington connections have helped him prosper since leaving Congress. His income hit $1.1 million in 2009, much of it coming from media appearances and consulting work on behalf of health care and energy interests, AP reports.

Santorum and his wife, Karen, appear to have paid a tax rate close to 30%—nearly double the rate Mitt Romney's tax returns revealed. Santorum—whose disclosure forms last year showed investment and real estate assets of up to $2.5 million—has now released more tax returns than either Romney or Gingrich. Ron Paul has not released his. "I don’t want to be embarrassed because I don’t have a greater income" than the other candidates, Paul quipped during a debate last month.