Washington:
President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, reported earnings of $5,505,509 in 2009, more than double their 2008 income of roughly $2.6 million, according to tax returns made public Thursday by the White House.
The Obamas, who listed their occupations as "US President," and "US First Lady," reported wages, salaries and tips of $374,460. (Michelle Obama is unpaid.) The vast majority of the first family's income stems from sales of the president's two best-selling books, "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."
The Obamas paid nearly $1,792,414 in federal income tax, the returns show, and donated $329,100 - nearly 6 percent of their income - to 40 charities. Their largest donations were $50,000 contributions each to CARE, a humanitarian organization that fights global poverty, and the United Negro College Fund.
The president won $1.4 million as the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, but was not required to report the money as income because he instructed the Nobel Committee to donate it directly to charity, the White House said. As a result, he was not permitted to claim the money as a charitable deduction.
The Obamas also paid $163,303 in Illinois state income taxes.
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, reported an adjusted gross income of $333,182 and paid more than $71,147 in federal income taxes, $12,420 in Delaware income taxes and $1,477 in Virginia income taxes. The Bidens contributed $4,820 to charity, in both monetary and in-kind donations, the White House said.