Davis Releases Full Tax Return

The campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis on Tuesday publicly released her full 2013 tax return, four days after giving copies to the media with the stipulation that the document couldn't be shared with anyone or published in full. 

The decision came as The Texas Tribune was preparing to publish a story about Davis' limited release. 

The tax filing lists Davis’ adjusted gross income for 2013 at $249,754 and shows she paid $70,252 in income taxes. Davis brought in $120,000 from her work as an attorney, down from the $275,000 she made the previous year. And she reported earning an additional $132,000 for a book deal. The upcoming memoir, titled Forgetting to be Afraid, is set to be published in September.

Davis’ Republican opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, publicly released his 2013 tax return in April and has repeatedly pushed for Davis to do the same. Davis filed an extension for her 2013 income taxes and had said she would release them once they were ready.

“A tax return is a pretty basic thing and to delay, delay, delay and publish them under duress and not even allow the complete return to be released, that lacks transparency,” said Amelia Chasse, Abbott’s campaign spokeswoman.

Donnis Baggett, executive vice president of the Texas Press Association, said candidates' willingness to share personal information with the public shows they have nothing to hide and are honest with the public about their background. 

Previously, both Abbott and Davis have released their full tax returns to the Tribune.  

“For anyone running for state office, the people need to know about their financial picture and how they got to where they are,” Baggett said. “...When you start withholding information from the public it makes people wonder, ‘What is it they don’t want me to see?’ It is not in the candidate’s best interest or the people’s best interests.”