Palin Makes Less Money, But Donates More To Charity Than Biden
October 4, 2008From Sam Youngman on The Hill
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made considerably less money than rival Sen. Joe Biden, but the Palin family gave more to charity in the last two years than Biden has in the last eight combined, according to Palin’s tax records released Friday afternoon.
Palin, the running mate of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and her husband Todd reported meager earnings from 2006 and 2007, at least by presidential-politics standards.
In 2006, the Palins paid $11,944 in taxes on $127,869 in income. In 2007, they paid $24,738 on $166,080.
But in 2006, they donated $4,880 to charity, and in 2007, they donated $3,325.
By contrast, Biden (D-Del.), Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s running mate, has donated a total of $3,690 since 1998 despite his higher Senate salary, according to an analysis posted by National Review.
The timing of the release of the Palins tax records has become something of a tradition. Campaigns wait until Friday afternoon, when the news cycle slows to a grind and reporters are focused elsewhere — in this case, Congress’s passage and the president’s signing of the financial rescue package.
To begin, let me say that it is amazing that an extra 40,000 dollars in income would cause a difference in taxes of 13,000 dollars. Trig wasn’t born until 2008 so he could not have counted towards a tax deduction in that year. It is shameful that someone like Biden who claims “Catholic social doctrine as I was taught it is, you take care of people who need the help the most” would give such meager donations by his income standards.
