Spain PM publishes tax returns amid corruption scandal

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy made public his tax returns as he seeks to quell a corruption scandal that has gripped Spaniards and pushed up the country's borrowing costs.

The corruption allegations, centred on Luis Barcenas, a former treasurer at the ruling People's Party (PP), have spooked investors just when Spain appeared to be emerging from the worst of the euro zone debt crisis.

Former PP treasurer Barcenas has described as fake handwritten ledger entries published on Jan. 31 by El Pais newspaper purporting to show payments made to PP leaders, including Rajoy, from construction firm kickbacks.

The tax authority documents, posted on the government's website, showed Rajoy's income and tax payments from 2004 to 2012. He earned up to 147,620 euros ($197,500) per year over the period plus income from investments. He paid 870,292 euros in tax over the eight-year period, the documents showed.