Jeb Bush's Income Soared After His Time as Governor

ByCHRIS GOOD ABCNews logo
Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Jeb Bush's income skyrocketed after he left office as governor of Florida, newly released tax returns show.

Worth between $20 million and $22 million, according to his campaign, Bush made $28.5 million between 2007, the year he left office, and 2013.

In a show of transparency, the former Florida governor's presidential campaign posted his returns from 1981 through 2013 in PDF files to the campaign website Tuesday evening.

"In the spirit of transparency, this release will show voters how I earned a living over the past three decades and how much of that living I paid in taxes to the federal government. Like most Americans, I know it is time for a flatter, fairer tax code," Bush said in a written statement accompanying the release.

The former governor's income jumped from $260,000 in 2006, his last full year as governor, to $2.2 million the next year. Bush left office in early 2007.

He continued to make at least $1.85 million each year, with his highest total, $7.3 million, coming in 2013.

Much of that income came from paid speeches, as his average income per year for paid speeches was $1.1 million. For those speeches, Bush charged up to $75,000 per appearance, Reuters reported.

Bush's tax returns were one of two campaign-related document dumps late on Tuesday, as the State Department is expected to release a trove of Hillary Clinton's emails from her time as secretary of state at 9 p.m. ET.

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