Mitt Romney hopes millions he tithes to LDS Church isn't politicized

With the release of Mitt Romney's tax records on Tuesday, the world now knows what was previously known only by a select few: Mitt and Ann Romney pay 10 percent of their income in tithing to their faith.

Traditionally, tithing records are viewed as a confidential matter between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the lay leader of their church congregation, but for the Romneys in the midst of a presidential campaign, those charitable donations are now a matter of public record.

And a matter for possible misunderstanding. The Romneys, as is common among LDS Church members and in all kinds of American charitable giving, made many of their donations to their faith through appreciated stock, according to the tax return for 2010 Romney released today and his estimated taxes for 2011.

Last week ABC News distorted the way Mormon tithing traditionally is paid by LDS Church members by reporting that Romney "carved his church a slice of several of (Bain Capital's) most lucrative business deals, securities records show, providing it with millions of dollars worth of stock in some of Bain Capital's most well-known holdings," including Burger King, Domino's Pizza, electronics manufacturer DDi, phosphates company Innophos Holdings and Marquee Holdings, the parent company to AMC Theaters.

Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said there was no slice-carving going on, nor was there anything surreptitious in the transaction. Romney simply followed long-established methods of donating shares of stock to the LDS Church as part of his annual tithe, much the way many philanthropists donate to charities and institutions.

"Mitt Romney has publicly stated that he regularly tithes to his church," Saul said. "Some of those church contributions have come through the Tyler Foundation (Romney's family charity). Others have been donations of stock through Bain. Any shares donated by Mitt Romney are personal shares owned by him."

At least one blogger, Stu Burguiere of The Blaze, made light of ABC's breathless approach to the story. "Mitt Romney accused of blatant tithing!" Burguiere's headline said, following with: "How dare he? SCANDAL!"

Romney had "income of $21.7 million in 2010 and $20.9 million last year — virtually all of it profits, dividends or interest from investments," according to the Washington Post's story about the release of his tax information.