Romney taxes: GOP candidate rejects Obama bid for 5 years of tax returns (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

The public tit-for-tat over Mitt Romney's taxes continued Friday, with the GOP candidate rejecting an offer by the Obama campaign to back off if he releases five years of tax returns.

According to Bloomberg, a letter to Romney’s campaign by Obama re-election manager Jim Messina said the president’s team would cease its criticism of the former Massachusetts governor over his taxes if their offer was met.

More from GlobalPost: Mitt Romney: 'I paid 13 percent in taxes over the past 10 years' (VIDEO)

Romney's response? No way.

"It is clear that President Obama wants nothing more than to talk about Gov. Romney's tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters," Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades told The Associated Press.

More from GlobalPost: Under fire over taxes, Romney blasts Obama as anti-success

Romney released his 2010 tax return and has pledged to release his 2011 tax records, but no others. Obama has released several years of tax returns.

Romney's reticence has caused Obama and other Democrats to question whether there are years that Romney paid no taxes.

Romney defended himself Thursday, telling reporters in South Carolina that he's never paid less than 13 percent in federal taxes the past 10 years.

"Harry Reid's charge (that he's skirted paying taxes) is totally false. I'm sure waiting for Harry to put up who it was who told him what he says they told him. I don't believe him for a minute, by the way," Romney said.

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