SPRINGFIELD — As he seeks re-election in 2020 to his long-held seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, this week released tax returns dating back to 2011.
Neal’s campaign released the tax returns on Monday after his opponent for the 1st Congressional District seat, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, released his own returns dating back to 2012 in September. Neal’s tax returns show him and Maureen Neal, his wife, earning wages of $189,064 in 2018. The couple reported a total income — which includes IRAs, pensions and annuities, as well as Social Security benefits and dividends — of $256,449 that year.
“In the spirit of transparency, as the Chair of the Committee with jurisdiction over taxes, I am releasing eight years of federal tax returns today,” Neal said in a statement, referring to his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Many local reporters have asked Neal about releasing his tax returns, particularly after his committee subpoenaed and then filed a lawsuit in an attempt to obtain President Donald Trump’s tax returns this year.
“We first asked for these more than two years ago,” New England Public Radio news director Sam Hudzik tweeted Monday. “Now @RepRichardNeal releases his tax returns, at 4PM the day before Christmas Eve.”
In 2015, the Neals earned their highest total income of the eight-year period, $262,892. Their lowest total income of the period was in 2012, when they reported earning $212,134. The salary of a member of the House has been $174,000 since 2009.
The couple paid $9,498 in state and local taxes in 2018 and $43,811 in federal taxes in 2018.
The returns show the Neals giving some to charities — $1,500 every year from 2011 until 2016, when they donated $250. The couple did not claim any gifts to charity in 2017 and 2018.
The Neal campaign posted copies of all of the tax returns to its website.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.