Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid charged Mitt Romney with manipulating his 2011 taxes to “conform with his public statements,” after the Republican presidential challenger's return showed he paid nearly $500,000 more than he should have.

"Governor Romney is showing us what he does when the public is looking," Reid said. "The true test of his character would be to show what he did when everyone was not looking at his taxes."

Reid was referring to the Republican presidential candidate's decision not to take the full write-off on the huge amount he and his wife Ann gave to charity last year. The return, released Friday, show the couple donated some 30 percent of their $13.7 million income — but they did not take the full write-off, making their effective tax rate higher.

One tax expert estimated that decision cost the Romneys a little under half a million dollars.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Romney Overpays Income Tax by $500,000: Reid Calls it 'Manipulation'