Spain's president releases tax returns

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MADRID, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The president of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, said he has released copies of his tax returns dating back to 2003.

The release came as Rajoy moved to prove his innocence in the so-called Barcenas slush-fund scandal, ThinkSpain reported Sunday.

Rajoy and other People's Party officials have come under scrutiny since the arrest of former treasurer Luis Barcenas on charges of corruption and money laundering. Barcenas is accused of using Swiss bank accounts to pad the take-home pay of Rajoy and other PP leaders.

Rajoy's base salary as president is about one-third what it was when he was an opposition-party leader in Parliament from 2003 to 2011. His income tax payments for the eight years totaled more than 840,000 euros ($1.1 million).

Rajoy's spending on travel and food were not reported because those expenses are tax exempt in Spain, ThinkSpain said.