Pirate's Cove

Bernie Sanders, like most Democrats, constantly calls for higher tax rates for Other People. For people “paying their fair share.” What about for himself?

Bernie Sanders paid $27,653 in federal income taxes in 2014, a federal tax rate of 13.5%, according to tax return https://t.co/1xVpuphLQY

— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) April 16, 2016

U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who has made income inequality a top campaign theme, had taxable income of $205,271 in 2014, putting him almost in the top 5 percent of American earners, according to the release of Friday of his federal tax return.

That figure was still far below the millions earned by his main Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in recent years.

Sanders and his wife, Jane, paid $27,653 in federal income taxes in 2014, an effective federal tax rate of 13.5 percent, on income of $205,271, which is their adjusted gross income before deductions. That figure is just below the $206,563 that Census data show as the lower limit for the top 5 percent of U.S. households in 2014.

It should be noted

Sanders pays the Mitt Romney effective federal tax rate. So much for paying your fair share of taxes. https://t.co/LrUeBq3StI

— Matt Murphy (@MattMurph24) April 15, 2016

Actually, he paid less in taxes per rate than Mitt, who paid in the 14-15% rate, due to his huge charitable contributions and the way the tax system is set up. The question for Sanders is, why is he not paying his fair share when his income is certainly much higher than the average American? Why is he taking advantage of the loopholes in the tax system?

Interestingly, the returns do not show Sanders’ net worth. Also interesting is the tone the article takes in firing shots at Hillary over her ability to rake in the cash. Usually, articles take subtle, and not so subtle, shots at Republicans, not fellow Democrats. It’ll be interesting to see what Hillary’s effective tax rate is.

But, hey, Bernie, pay your fair share!