Gov. Mark Dayton said Wednesday that he is embarrassed by the tax return he released Tuesday, showing that he gave only $1,000 to charity despite total 2012 earnings of $343,234 last year.
Dayton ashamed of the drop in his charitable giving
November 14, 2013 at 12:48PM
"I pride myself on my charitable giving and I'm disappointed in myself," Dayton said at the end of a briefing with reporters on another issue. "I totaled it up and noticed I had fallen off, so I will remedy that."
The drop was significant from 2009, when Dayton, then a gubernatorial candidate, earned $172,475 mostly from family trusts, and donated nearly $27,000 of that to charity.
In addition to the $116,125 state salary he drew last year, Dayton received $92,381 from a family trust and $130,291 from capital gains.
Dayton gave $1,750 to charity in 2011, when his earnings totaled $342,322.
Dave Thompson, the only Republican candidate running against Dayton to release his tax return, declared joint income with his wife of $198,322. The Thompsons gave $20,465 to charity.
Dayton's mea culpa came on the eve of Give to the Max Day in Minnesota, a 24-hour fundraiser for schools and nonprofits by GiveMN.org that features matching grants.
ABBY SIMONS
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