Cindy McCain has said she will never release her tax returns due to privacy concerns, even while interest mounts because of her husband’s use of the corporate jet.

Howard Dean blasted McCain on the issue though:

“What is John McCain trying to hide?” Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement. “Throughout this campaign, he has acted like his own calls for openness and accountability apply to everyone but himself.”

The McCain campaign latched onto a very good way to safe a few hundred thousand dollars during their march around the country, use the corporate jet and pay a minimum price.

According to a post on The New York Times blog last month John McCain has saved quite a chunk of change by using the jet of Hensley & Company, where Cindy McCain is the chairwoman.

Mr. McCain’s campaign paid a total of $241,149 for the use of that plane from last August through February, records show. That amount is approximately the cost of chartering a similar jet for a month or two, according to industry estimates.

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“This amounts to a subsidy for his campaign, which is notable given how badly they were struggling last year,” said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that collects and analyzes campaign data.