Former Speaker of the House and current Republican hopeful Newt Gingrich released his tax return during last night's debate, proving that yes, he's an excellent multi-tasker but also that he isn't afraid to show that he paid just under $1 million in taxes and around $20,000 in alimony for 2010. Of course Gingrich's tax return (and the promise of Mitt Romney's in April) actually makes these pesky forms somewhat interesting--seeing where they spent money, how they lost it, how much they owe--and what stands out here is that he and his wife Calista paid $994,708 in federal taxes on an income of around $3.14 million (image and breakdown below), which (thank you calculator) is a tax rate of around 31percent (that doubles Mitt Romney's admitted 15 percent tax rate).  And with all the focus on Gingrich's marriages of late--he did pay $19,800 in alimony last year, which USA Today presumes went to the first of his two ex-wives, Jackie Battley Gingrich. CNN reported last month that in 1994, Gingrich agreed to increase his alimony payments to $1,650 per month under the stipulation that Jackie Gingrich would waive her right to ask for future increases if her ex-husband's income increased. 

For the full return in a PDF format, head over here. 

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Alexander Abad-Santos