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Joe Biden Releases His 2019 Tax Returns Head Of Presidential Debate With Donald Trump

Joe Biden Releases His 2019 Tax Returns Head Of Presidential Debate With Donald Trump

The move comes just hours before he goes head to head with his Republican opponent

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

The Democratic Party's US Presidential nominee Joe Biden has released his 2019 tax return, just hours before he's due to debate with Donald Trump.

The documents revealed Biden and his wife Jill paid more than US $346,000 in federal taxes and other payments last financial year.

It also revealed he had an income of close to US $985,000 and sought a refund of nearly $US 47,000 for overpaying the government.

In addition to Biden's tax returns, his running mate Kamala Harris has also released her 2019 financial documents.

PA

Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said to reporters ahead of the debate that if the Democratic nominee is prepared to do it, then the Republican candidate should follow.

"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 lines," she said.

"Mr President, release your tax returns or shut up."

The move is meant to take a dig at President Donald Trump, who has famously kept some of his tax records obscured from public scrutiny. The New York Times released a report earlier this week that claimed Trump only paid $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017.

The President has simultaneously called the report fake news and slammed the newspaper for publishing 'illegally obtained information'.

Writing on Twitter, Trump said: "The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent.

PA

"I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation & tax credits.

"Also, if you look at the extraordinary assets owned by me, which the Fake News hasn't, I am extremely under leveraged - I have very little debt compared to the value of assets. Much of this information is already on file, but I have long said that I may release financial Statements, from the time I announced I was going to run for President, showing all properties, assets and debts.

"It is a very IMPRESSIVE Statement, and also shows that I am the only President on record to give up my yearly $400,000 plus Presidential Salary!"

Trump is now under pressure, in much the same way as back in 2016 in his first election, to personally release his tax returns before the 2020 Presidential election.

Biden and Trump will go head to head in the first Presidential debate before the November poll, where they will be grilled for 90 minutes about their policies and plan for America.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: joe biden, News, US Election, US News, Donald Trump, Politics