Philadelphia: Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, made USD 4.2 million last year as widespread interest in the presidential candidate pushed the sales of his two books. In tax returns the campaign released yesterday, the Obamas reported a significant jump in their income from the previous year as profits from the books "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" accounted for some USD 4 million.

The Obamas paid federal taxes of USD 1.4 million and donated USD 240,370 to charity. Their salaried income was USD 260,735. In 2006,Obama and his wife reported income of USD 991,296. The sum included Obama's Senate salary of USD 157,082 and his wife's earnings of USD 273,618 from her position as an administrator at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Michelle Obama also earned USD 51,200 in director's fees from TreeHouse Inc., a food distributor. They paid USD 277,431 in federal taxes an overpayment of USD 40,856,which they designated for estimated tax payments this year. Among the charitable donations in 2007 was USD 26,270 to Trinity United Church of Christ, where the incendiary sermons of Obama's former pastor have created problems for the candidate.

The Obamas largest charitable donation was USD 50,000 to the United Negro College Fund. The campaign released the returns just hours before a candidate debate with rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Source : PTI