Warren Buffett, who supports Hillary Clinton, said he paid $1.84 million in federal income tax for the 2015 tax year. | AP Photo Buffett hits back at Trump's tax claims

Warren Buffett hit back at Donald Trump today for claiming Buffett took “a massive tax deduction,” with the billionaire investor disclosing information about his income, deductions and charitable giving for 2015.

In a statement, Buffett also slammed Trump’s excuse for not releasing his own income tax returns: that he is being audited by the IRS.


“… I have been audited by the IRS multiple times and am currently being audited,” said Buffett, who supports Hillary Clinton. “I have no problem in releasing my tax information while under audit. Neither would Mr. Trump — at least he would have no legal problem.”

Trump leveled his charge in Sunday’s debate as he acknowledged he paid no income tax in 1995, and perhaps for several years before and after, while claiming $916 million in losses.

At a campaign event in Detroit, Clinton read portions of Buffett's statement and needled Trump, calling Buffett "a real billionaire."

"So, if you're going to call out Warren Buffett you better be prepared for him telling some good old-fashioned Nebraska honest facts about what the truth really is," Clinton said. "And the other thing about Warren Buffett is he agrees with me. Rich people ought to be paying more federal income taxes to pay their fair share for our country."

Buffett's statement said his deductions totaled $5.47 million in 2015, including $3.46 million in charitable contributions, on adjusted gross income of $11.6 million. He said he paid $1.84 million in federal income tax.

“Returns for previous years are of a similar nature in respect to contributions, deductions and taxes,” he wrote. “I have paid federal income tax every year since 1944, when I was 13. (Though being a slow starter, I owed only $7 in tax that year.) I have copies of all 72 of my returns and none uses a carryforward” loss like Trump's.

Buffett said he made a whopping $2.858 billion in charitable contributions in 2015, “of which $2.85 billion were not taken as deductions and never will be.” His allowable charitable deductions were $3.46 million, he said, adding “Tax law properly limits charitable deductions.”

Madeline Conway contributed to this story.