April 29, 2004 | Read Time: 1 minute
President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry have released information about their contributions to charity last year.
President Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush, gave $68,360 to churches and charities in 2003, 9.4 percent of their taxable income of $727,083.
The White House said that recipients of the gifts from the Bushes included the Combined Federal Campaign, the federal government’s annual charity drive; Evergreen Chapel, where religious services are held at the Camp David presidential retreat; Tarrytown United Methodist Church, in Austin, Tex.; and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. The White House did not say how much money the Bushes contributed to specific organizations.
Vice President Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, donated $321,141 to charity last year, about 39 percent of their taxable income of $813,226.
The Cheneys said that their donations were primarily from Mrs. Cheney’s royalties and income from three books. They did not name the charities that received their donations.
Mr. Kerry, the Massachusetts senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, reported making $43,735 in charitable contributions in 2003, 11 percent of his adjusted gross income of $395,338. He gave a total of $25,000 to support two shelters in New England for homeless veterans. Mr. Kerry said he last year paid income taxes on $89,220 in royalties from a book and is donating the balance to charity.
Mr. Kerry filed his tax returns separately from his wife, the philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry. The Kerry campaign has declined to release Ms. Heinz Kerry’s tax records, saying she is not a candidate for office.
