Former Vice President Joe Biden released
his 2019 tax returns on Tuesday, showing that he paid nearly $300,000 in federal taxes, seeking to draw a contrast with President Trump in the hours before their first debate.
Mr. Biden and his wife, Jill, reported receiving $985,233 in adjusted gross income in 2019, a year in which he was mostly running for president.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has refused to release any of his tax returns, breaking a 40-year tradition of major-party candidates and presidents.
The New York Times reported Sunday that Mr. Trump hasn't paid federal income taxes in many recent years and paid just $750 for 2016 and 2017. Mr. Trump has dismissed the Times' reporting as inaccurate but has
declined to specify any errors.
The Times report detailed a series of questionable transactions by Mr. Trump, including deductions for hair styling, claims of large losses and consulting payments to his daughter, Ivanka Trump. The president has said he is still being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. Mr. Biden's campaign said the latest release means he has now released 22 years of tax records, covering years when he served in the Senate representing Delaware, as vice president and his time after he left the Obama administration.
"This is a historic level of transparency meant to give the American people faith once again that their leaders will look out for them and not their own bottom line," said Kate Bedingfield, Mr. Biden's deputy campaign manager.
Mr. Biden's campaign said his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, was also
releasing her 2019 tax returns with her husband, Doug Emhoff, a lawyer who has taken leave from his position as a partner with the firm DLA Piper.
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