Booker's tax returns: Speaking fees and royalties drive income [View all]

[brooklynite]

Politico

Sen. Cory Booker brought in nearly $3 million in public speaking fees and royalties over the past decade, according to tax documents his presidential campaign released Wednesday.

The New Jersey Democrat’s reported income in 2018 was $152,715. He paid $29,446 in taxes and donated $24,000 to charity that year.

Public speaking fees and royalties, however, account for the bulk of Booker’s income in eight of the past 10 years. Booker reported $2 million in public speaking fees from 2009 to 2014 and $987,077 in royalties from 2015 to 2017.

Booker’s campaign released 10 years of tax returns on Wednesday, making him the latest Democratic White House contender to do so. A couple of candidates got attention for their filings: Sen. Bernie Sanders’ tax returns show that he became a millionaire in 2016, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s tax returns drew scrutiny for a dearth of charitable giving.