Tax Returns Focus of Negative Ads in Ga. Gubenatorial Bid ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - The latest back-and-forth deals with money. Democrat Roy Barnes just released this ad:

[sound of ad questioning Nathan Deal's tax returns]

Although the commercial never makes any direct allegations, the insinuation is that by not making public his tax returns, Republican Nathan Deal has done something wrong.

At a debate this weekend, Deal responded he hasn't released his records because he won't let Barnes dictate how to run his campaign.

"It's truly an insult to the citizens of this state if the only thing you can spend your political money on is a negative, mud-slinging type of attack," Deal said at the Cobb Energy Centre Saturday. "And I'm disappointed that would be the tenor the other side of this campaign has taken."

But in the primary, Deal aired several negative ads about his opponent Karen Handel. And there is a negative ad airing across Georgia that takes to task Barnes' first term in office.

[sound from ad of deep voice saying Georgians don't want apologies]

Deal said it's not his place to ask the ad's sponsor, the National Republican Governor's Association, to take down the commercial. He also said it's not of the same magnitude as ads sponsored by Barnes.

So how much is each candidate worth?

According to tax returns on his website, Roy Barnes has made more than 27-million dollars since 1984, including more than 4-million dollars last year from his law practice.

As a Congressman, Nathan Deal was paid 174-thousand dollars last year. In 2008, he also earned $75,000 in wages from an auto salvage business.

Jim Burress, WABE News.
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