Cameron releases tax returns information amid row

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday took the unusual step of releasing some of his income tax information in an effort to answer persistent questions about his financial affairs, after admitting earlier that his handling of the disclosure of links to offshore funds could have been better, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Even though Cameron claims he is the first U.K. prime minister to publish his income tax information, he may face further questions after his office confirmed he had received two gifts of £100,00 each, about $160,000 each at that time, from his mother in 2011. That was the year after the prime minister’s father died, and those gifts did not appear on his income tax returns.

British newspapers questioned whether the gifts were an effort to avoid paying inheritance tax on his late father’s estate. Cameron’s office declined further comment on the gifts.

The documents published on the government’s website detail the prime minister’s income and taxation over the last six financial years, according to chartered accountants RNS. They showed that in the 2014-2015 financial year, Cameron earned taxable income totaling £200,307, and paid income tax of £75,898. The income included a salary of £140,522, rental revenue from a London home, and interest from personal savings in a U.K. bank, according to the documents.

Source ; MENA