Candidates for Lieutenant Governor spar over personal income taxes

The Republican candidate for Governor and Lieutenant Governor plan to release their personal income tax records soon. Democrat Governor Tom Vilsack has repeatedly challenged Republican rival Doug Gross to reveal the details of his personal finances, charging Gross may have conflicts of interest based on his investments and the legal clients he’s worked for.Debi Durham, Gross’ running mate, says it’s ridiculous.Durham says she can’t believe it’s an issue in the race when there are more important things to focus on. She says, though, she and Gross will soon release their tax records for the past six years. Durham says the focus in the race shouldn’t be on how candidates made their money, but on how to grow the state’s economy.Current Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson says she’ll release her own personal tax records once the Republican candidates do. Pederson says Gross has “delayed and stalled” on releasing his returns.Pederson says Gross, who earned 700-thousand dollars last year, needs to reveal where he’s made his money. She says, “There are concerns when a person serves in state government, or serves in government at all, and then parlays that into a very lucrative lobbying business. And then choses to go back into government. I think there are questions about were the loyalties lie. I mean, who is he going to be representing? Is he going to be representing the people who’ve elected him, or is representing the people who he’s been serving the past decade?”The two women appeared side-by-side during a taping of the Iowa Public Television program, “Iowa Press.”