Washington:
White House hopeful Mitt Romney has said that he has "nothing hidden" in his taxes, rebuffing accusations by President Barack Obama's campaign that he is being secretive with his wealth in offshore accounts and businesses.
In an interview with Radio Iowa that aired on Tuesday, the Republican presumptive nominee said his finances were legitimate and managed by a blind trust.
"I don't manage them. I don't even know where they are," Mr Romney said in the interview taped yesterday, as calls from Obama's Democratic camp mounted for Romney to release more of his tax returns.
"That trustee follows all US laws. All the taxes are paid, as appropriate," Mr Romney added.
"All of them have been reported to the government. There's nothing hidden there."
Mr Romney, who earned his vast wealth in the business world and in particular as founder and head of private investment firm Bain Capital before he became governor of Massachusetts, has released his 2010 returns and an estimate for 2011.
He told Radio Iowa that Mr Obama was trying to direct the campaign discussion away from his presidential record and onto subjects that show his challenger in a poor light.
"I understand the president's going to try to do anything he can to divert attention from the fact that his jobs record is weak and he has no plan to make things better," Mr Romney said.
Democrats have latched onto recent reports that Mr Romney has stashed some of his wealth in offshore accounts and businesses that make it difficult to know his true worth.
Much of Mr Romney's fortune lies well hidden in a network of opaque offshore investments including some US $ 30 million in the Cayman Islands, as well as in a corporation established in the 1990s in Bermuda, Vanity Fair magazine reported last week.