Ryan paid a higher income tax rate than Romney, returns show

(CNN) -- Tax documents released Friday by Republican vice presidential candidate show Paul Ryan had an income tax bill in 2011 of approximately 20% of his income, and 16% in 2010.

Those numbers indicate he paid a larger percentage of his income in taxes in the past two years than did his running mate Mitt Romney, whose effective tax rate over the same two years was approximately 14.5%, according to returns the Republican presidential candidate and his wife released earlier this year.

Ryan and his wife, Janna, earned $323,416 in 2011 and owed $64,764 in federal income taxes, the returns showed. That year, he claimed $12,991 in charitable gifts.

In 2010, Ryan earned a total of $215,417 and owed $37,457 in federal taxes, including $3,224 he paid as the employer of a household worker.

He deducted $2,600 in charitable giving that year.

Ryan's income - $538,000 in the last two years - is miniscule compared to the $42 million Romney reported in the last two years.

Romney has refused to disclose returns beyond the most recent two years, which he released in January. He has faced pressure recently from Democrats - and during the primary months, from Republicans, to release additional years. Romney said at a press conference on Thursday that he has not paid less than 13% of his income in federal income taxes in any of the last 10 years.

In an interview this week on CBS' "60 Minutes," Ryan said he would release two years of returns, comparable to Romney's release.

President Barack Obama's campaign manager on Friday sent a letter to the Romney campaign offering to drop the tax return issue altogether if Romney would disclose at least five years of documents. The Romney campaign declined.

Ryan's returns were prepared by separate CPAs in his hometown, Janesville, Wisconsin.