Rick Perry, Bill White
Rick Perry, Bill White Caleb Bryant Miller, Callie Richmond

Gov. Rick Perry asked for it, and now he’s got it — sort of.

The governor’s campaign has been hitting his general election opponent, Democrat Bill White, for refusing to release his income tax returns to the public. Today, White released his tax returns — but only from 2009. According to the campaign, this is not a response to Perry, but rather something he has planned on doing as soon as it was possible.

White argues that, in his past income-earning endeavors, he has been just a single partner in businesses where such information is proprietary. His team says today’s release matches Perry’s history of releasing income tax returns in the years he’s running for or holding statewide office.  

Of course, Perry has been running for and holding statewide office for some time now — he has been releasing personal income tax returns since the mid-1990s

White did file financial disclosure forms for each of his six years as mayor.  His campaign says, “The disclosures have been available to the public for years and may be obtained by contacting the Bill White for Texas campaign.”

In the meantime, here’s White’s 2009 return:

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Reeve Hamilton worked at the Tribune from 2009 to 2015, covering higher education and politics and hosting the Tribune's weekly podcast. His writing has also appeared in Texas Monthly and The Texas Observer....