Hillary Clinton puts pressure on Trump by releasing tax returns

Hillary and Bill Clinton earned $10.6 million (about €9.5 million) last year, according to a tax filing released by her campaign to pressure presidential rival Donald Trump to disclose his own tax returns.

The filing shows that the Clintons paid a federal tax rate of 34.2 per cent.

The bulk of their income - more than $6 million (about €5.4 million) - came from speaking fees for appearances largely made before Ms Clinton launched her campaign last April.

They gave more than one million dollars to charity.

The release is part of an effort to undercut Mr Trump’s character by questioning the businessman’s record.

He has refused to make his filings public, saying they are under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and that he will release them once that review is complete.

All major US presidential candidates in modern history have released their returns.

Ms Clinton frequently mentions his returns as a way of underscoring how his economic plans would benefit his personal interests and questioning whether he is as wealthy as he claims.

A lower income would undermine his image as a successful businessman.

Politically damaging

Democrats believe Mr Trump’s returns could be a treasure trove of politically damaging information.

They want to see his tax rate, charitable giving and business dealings with foreign governments.

“Here’s a pretty incredible fact: there is a non-zero chance that Donald Trump isn’t paying *any* taxes,” Ms Clinton tweeted, minutes after releasing her own returns.

Her campaign also released 10 years of returns from running mate Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton.

Over the last decade, the couple has donated 7.5 per cent of their income to charity, the campaign said, and paid an effective tax rate of 25.6 per cent last year.

Along with the taxes, Ms Clinton’s campaign released a video featuring Republican leaders saying Mr Trump should make his filings public.

The Clintons have disclosed returns for every year dating back to 1977.

She put out her most recent eight years of tax filings last summer, along with her health records.

PA