ALBANY – Gov. Paterson and his wife last year gave a shockingly low $150 to charity, despite a combined income of nearly $270,000, the couple’s income-tax filings show.
The $150 went to the Salvation Army in the form of used clothing, a Paterson aide said.
The couple did not check any of the charity-contribution boxes, such as for the World Trade Center Memorial, listed on the state tax form.
The $150 donation was dwarfed by the two other state officials.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo reported having last year made $14,000 in charitable contributions on an estimated income of $545,000.
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who is single and reported $143,027 in total income, gave $3,065 to 29 charities last year, up from $1,633 in 2006.
Paterson’s paltry giving also came up short compared to his gubernatorial predecessors.
Multimillionaire Eliot Spitzer, who resigned earlier this year in the wake of a prostitution scandal, last year reported giving away $141,635, or 7 percent of his and his wife’s total 2006 income, according to the couple’s returns released last year.
George Pataki, who was widely criticized for shortchanging charities, reported donating $2,600 in 1994, the year before he became governor.
But that included $885 worth of used clothing to the Salvation Army and more than $300 in corn and other produce to nonprofit groups.
In his last year as governor, Pataki reported giving $6,636 to charity, mostly in the form of clothing and household goods.
Pataki’s predecessor, Mario Cuomo, in his last year as governor, reported donating $30,360 back to the state, as well as $6,884 in donations to charities.
A Paterson spokesman would not discuss his meager charitable giving.
Paterson reported making $144,170 last year as lieutenant governor and another $3,000 from Columbia University, where he was an adjunct history professor.
His wife, Michelle Paige Paterson, made $115,538 as the director of integrative wellness at the Health Insurance Plan of New York.
She also reported making $6,000 from the National Urban Technology Center for work on a nutrition initiative.
The state’s first couple paid $57,562 in federal taxes and more than $25,000 in combined state and city taxes.
They will receive $4,386 back from the state but have to pay $591 in federal taxes, according to their returns.
Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo, who is seeking an extension to file his returns, released a letter from his accountant that showed he took a $1 million hit to become attorney general.
Even so, Cuomo made more than the Patersons and DiNapoli combined.
According to the letter, it is estimated Cuomo made $545,000 in total income last year, down from the nearly $1.5 million in total income in 2006. He will pay and estimated $90,000 in federal and $48,000 in state taxes.