Sanders defends against criticism over income, taxes

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) dismissed the suggestion on Monday that his newfound status as a millionaire undermines his criticism of economic inequality and the U.S. tax code.

Sanders’s defense came minutes after he released 10 years of his personal tax returns.

{mosads}Those returns showed that he and his wife, Jane, earned nearly $1.7 million in income over the past two years, including $561,293 last year and $1,131,925 million in 2017.

Sanders said that most of that income came from sales of his 2016 book, “Our Revolution,” which became a best-seller.

“If anyone thinks I should apologize for writing a best-selling book, I’m sorry, I’m not going to do it,” Sanders said at a town hall event hosted by Fox News.

Sanders insisted that under the current tax code, wealthy Americans do not pay their fair share of taxes, proposing a wealth tax on some of the nation’s highest earners.

“We’re going to fight for a wealth tax, and we’re going to demand that we end the absurdity,” Sanders said.

Sanders isn’t the only 2020 hopeful who has proposed a so-called wealth tax.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has called for a 2 percent tax on Americans with assets exceeding $50 million. Those with more than $1 billion would see a 3 percent tax under that proposal.