GOP's Johnson, Independence Party's Nicollet release personal tax information

Following a pattern Gov. Mark Dayton set when he was first running, candidates who wish to unseat the DFLer are releasing their tax returns to the public.

After Dayton released his more recent tax information last week, both Republican Jeff Johnson and Independence Party's Hannah Nicollet released theirs voluntarily.

Minnesota requires candidates for office to disclose very little about their personal finances. The now-traditional tax return release allows Minnesotans to delve a little more deeply into their income and tax information.

According to Johnson and Nicollet's release, both earned less than Dayton, paid less in taxes but gave a greater percentage of their incomes to charity.

Last week, Dayton revealed that he brought in $352,601, a little less than half of which came from capital gains, in 2013 and paid about $106,000 in state and local taxes. He gave $10,000 to charity.

Republican-endorsed candidate Johnson and his wife earned $221,458 last year; paid about $40,000 in state and local taxes and gave away $16,390 to charity.

Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Hannah Nicollet and her husband brought in about $68,000 in both 2013 and 2012. They gave charities about $9,500 last year and $15,500 the year before.

Republican Scott Honour's campaign said he would release his tax information eventually. Republican Kurt Zellers' campaign said he would release his but not until after the August 12 primary, because that contest will take the campaign and candidate's energy.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert last year and this one said he would not release his taxes because he said that information is no one's business.

Here's Johnson's release:

Johnson Taxes 2013 by Rachel E. Stassen-Berger

And here's Nicollet's: