Candidates Duel Over Deal Tax Returns

ATLANTA - Dueling over tax returns in the race to be Georgia's next governor intensified Friday. Republican candidate Nathan Deal has released partial tax returns while Democratic candidate Roy Barnes' camp said the disclosure raised more questions than answers.

The Barnes campaign complained that Deal didn't go far enough in his disclosure, while the Deal campaign said Barnes wants to talk about anything but his failed terms as governor and his liberal agenda for Georgia.

For months, Barnes' campaign hounded Deal about his tax returns. The Republican gubernatorial candidate posted partial returns on his website Thursday evening. The 2009 tax returns indicate Deal and his wife made $229,000 and paid just over $36,000 to the government. The Barnes campaign is still not satisfied.

Deal released his 1040 forms, but not the supplemental reports that would have detailed information on his Gainesville Auto Salvage business, which attracted the attention of House ethics investigators.

In May, former Governor Barnes released 1,500 pages of his tax returns. But Deal's camp says it's not enough. They want to know how many civil judgments Barnes won as an attorney before judges he appointed.

Deal campaign spokesman Brian Robinson said the 1040 forms combined with the 17 years of financial disclosures to the state ethics commission create a clear financial picture.