Tag Archives: Barack Obama

..President Obama and Vice President Biden’s 2011 Tax Returns


Jay Carney April 13, 2012 10:30 AM EDT
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Today, the President released his 2011 federal income and gift tax returns. He and the First Lady filed their income tax returns jointly and reported adjusted gross income of $789,674. About half of the first family’s income is the President’s salary; the other half is from sales proceeds of the President’s books. The Obamas paid $162,074 in total tax.

The President and First Lady also reported donating $172,130 – or about 22% of their adjusted gross income – to 39 different charities. The largest reported gift to charity was a $117,130 contribution to the Fisher House Foundation. The President is donating the after-tax proceeds from his children’s book to Fisher House, a scholarship fund for children of fallen and disabled soldiers.

The President’s effective federal income tax rate is 20.5%. The President believes we must reform our tax system which is why he has proposed policies like the Buffett Rule that would ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share while protecting families making under $250,000 from seeing their taxes go up. Under the President’s own tax proposals, including the expiration of the high-income tax cuts and limitations on the value of tax preferences for high-income households, he would pay more in taxes while ensuring we cut taxes for the middle class and those trying to get in it.

The President and First Lady also released their Illinois income tax return and reported paying $31,941 in state income tax.

Download the Obamas’ tax returns

The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden also released their 2011 federal income tax returns, as well as state income tax returns for both Delaware and Virginia. The Bidens filed joint federal and combined Delaware income tax returns. Dr. Biden filed a separate non-resident tax return for the state of Virginia. Together, they reported adjusted gross income of $379,035. The Bidens paid $87,900 in total federal tax for 2011. They paid $13,843 in Delaware income tax and $3,614 in Virginia income tax. The Bidens contributed $5,540 to charity in 2011.

Download the Bidens’ tax returns

American taxpayers are able to go online and see exactly how their federal tax dollars are spent.  You can visit the taxpayer receipt and after entering a few pieces of information about your taxes, the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veterans benefits, or health care.

View the President and First Lady’s tax receipt

View the Vice President and Dr. Biden’s tax receipt

Jay Carney is the White House Press Secretary

Their Fair Share by the Numbers …Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center


Tired of fighting cuts to programs that women and their families depend on in the name of deficit reduction — while millionaires and billionaires haven’t been asked to contribute an extra penny? Think it’s time for millionaires and billionaires who pay lower tax rates than many middle-class Americans to start paying their fair share?

Take Action: Tell your Senators to support the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012!   WWW.NWLC.ORG

On April 16, we expect the Senate to vote on an important piece of legislation, the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012 (S. 2230). The bill would ensure that those with incomes over $1 million annually pay at least 30 percent of their income in federal taxes. The legislation, introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, was inspired by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who highlighted the unfairness of a tax system that permits him to pay a lower tax rate than his secretary.

It’s time for this absurdity to stop. We can’t afford to continue lavish tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. To help demonstrate the real cost of tax breaks for millionaires, we’ve put together a new infographic:

That’s right. This year, the average millionaire gets a tax break of $143,000 — enough to support child care assistance for 24 children, Pell Grants to 37 college students, or a home-delivered meal each day for 249 seniors.

This is a tradeoff we can’t afford to make any longer. Please share our infographic today and urge your Senators to support the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012!

Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher Vice President,

Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Please help us continue to advocate for policies that protect and improve economic security for women and their families by making a generous donation today.

White House White Board: The Buffett Rule explained


by     on

In this installment of the White House White Board, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, talks about the “Buffett Rule”

President Obama Speaks at a White House forum


by     on Apr  6, 2012

President Obama speaks about the women who have shaped his life, and explains why his Administration has worked to consider the needs of women in girls in every decision it makes. April 6, 2012

Reject the radical Republican budget … Democrats.org


Democrats
Yesterday our President had a few choice words for the radical Republican budget championed by Rep. Paul Ryan. He called it “so far to the right it makes the Contract with America look like the New Deal.”
From Medicare to Social Security, health care to education, the GOP is ready to cut to the bone some of our most basic government services — while not asking for a dime more from the wealthiest Americans.
President Obama called it what it is: “A Trojan horse… Disguised as deficit reduction plans, it is really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country.”
This isn’t just Paul Ryan’s budget — it’s also Mitt Romney‘s platform.


Let’s fight it. Add your name alongside mine to reject the Ryan budget.   WWW.democrats.org

Here’s just a few of the things that would happen to Americans with the budget the GOP is backing.
Medicare? They’d throw it out the window, and give seniors a voucher that would amount to the second-cheapest health care plan in their community. Education? This plan would lay off thousands of teachers nationwide, and drastically cut financial aid — actually making college more expensive than it currently is. Investments in clean energy? Cut by a fifth.

WWW.democrats.org
In the President’s words: “Gutting the very things we need to grow an economy that’s built to last — education and training, research and development — it’s a prescription for decline.”

Perhaps even more telling are the things they’re fighting to protect: four billion annually in taxpayer-funded subsidies for giant oil companies that don’t need it; increases in defense spending completely beyond what the Pentagon even asked for; and even more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.
So let’s break it down. This budget isn’t for the 98% of Americans making under $250,000 a year.
Who is it for? It’s laden with special interest kickbacks and protections to keep the status quo going for those on top.
Yesterday, the President said he’s going to fight against this budget until the other side starts listening. It’s our job to back him up.

WWW.democrats.org
Send a strong message to Ryan and the Republicans pushing this budget. Reject it outright today:
Thanks,
Patrick

Patrick Gaspard
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee