Seeking to put an end to questions about his personal finances, Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney said on Thursday he did not pay less than a 13 percent tax rate at any point over the last 10 years.

Democrats have criticized Romney for not releasing more than two years of tax information and openly asked whether the millionaire former private equity executive has something to hide about his wealth.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused Romney earlier this month of not paying taxes for 10 years, a claim the Republican denies.

"I did go back and look at my taxes, and over the last ten years, I never paid less than 13 percent," Romney told journalists in Greer, South Carolina. "I think the most recent year is 13.6 or something like that," he added.

Romney also said that when charitable donations were taken into account, his tax rate has been above 20 percent.

Debate over Romney's taxes and the Medicare health program for the elderly has taken the focus of the campaign away from Romney's top issue: jobs.