Biden says he has never made more than $ 400,000 a year. That's not true at all

By Louis Jacobson - Politifact

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden discussed his tax plan Wednesday in conversation with metal workers in Detroit, Michigan.

“Every one of the things I mention I will pay for, making sure, for the first time, that the wealthiest start paying what they should be paying,” Biden said, “we are not going to punish anyone.

No one who earns less than $ 400,000, which is more money than I have ever earned, is going to have to pay more taxes. "

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Overall, the changes Biden proposes would repeal some provisions of President Donald Trump's tax law for those who earn more than $ 400,000, and raise the maximum corporate tax from 21% to 28%, among other measures.

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Independent analysts agree that Biden's plan would not raise taxes directly for those who earn less than $ 400,000, although those workers could feel the spillover effects of the corporate tax increase.

But is what Biden says about his own income true?

A New York Times reporter, Thomas Kaplan, reported on the Detroit event that “Biden has, in fact, made more than $ 400,000 [a year];

their tax returns between 2017 and 2018 showed an income many times higher. "

That's correct, based on the combined income of Biden and his wife Jill, as shown on their joint tax returns.

Tax returns for presidential candidates show the following adjusted gross income for Joe and Jill Biden since 1998:

1999: $ 210,797 2006: $ 248,459 2013: $ 407,009

2000: $ 219,953 2007: $ 319,853 2014: $ 388,844

2001: $ 220,712 2008: $ 269,256 2015: $ 392,233

2002: $ 227,811 2009: $ 333,182 2016: $ 396,456

2003: $ 231,375 2010: $ 379,178 2017: $ 11,031,309

2004: $ 234,271 2011: $ 379,035 2018: $ 4,580,437

So the Bidens, together, narrowly exceeded the $ 400,000 threshold in 2013, and twice as much by much larger amounts, in 2017 and 2018 (their 2019 statement has yet to be released.)

This pattern makes sense: As a senator and later as vice president, Biden's salary is set by law;

his wife, on the other hand, worked as a teacher.

As vice president, Biden earned up to $ 230,700 a year and as a senator his annual salary went from $ 44,600 when he entered the Senate in 1973 to $ 169,300 by the time he left Congress in January 2009.

The Bidens' tax returns since 2008 also include income from Social Security benefits.

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But when Biden left the vice presidency in January 2017, he was able to seize more lucrative opportunities in the private sector.

His financial statement as a presidential candidate lists nearly 50 events, talks or tours to present his book, for each of which he earned five- and six-figure payments.

When we asked Biden's campaign about this, they told us that the candidate was referring to his full-time annual salaries as a civil servant, adding that, as an employee of the New Castle County, Delaware, council and as a senator, he never he earned more than $ 400,000 a year.

Our rating:

Biden said that $ 400,000 "is more money than I have ever made" in one year.

Mostly fake cardTelemundo / Politifact

That is true for most of his career, when he was a public servant and his wife Jill was a teacher.

But, after Biden got out of the vice presidency, he made more money by speaking and on a promotional tour for his book.

The couple reported combined gross annual income of more than $ 11 million in 2017 and $ 4 million in 2018.

Therefore, we rate your claim as

Translated by Pablo Medina Uribe.