KKR chiefs take home $94m each Henry Kravis and George Roberts each took home a pay-out of around $94m last year from KKR, the private equity group they helped to found, the latest sign of the riches available to industry executives at a sensitive time in the US presidential election. Private equity has faced intense scrutiny in the US for the way executives, including Mitt Romney, the former head of Bain Capital who faces a tight vote in the Michigan primary election on Tuesday, have built fortunes aided by beneficial tax treatment. Mr Kravis and Mr Roberts together own 25 per cent of KKR, and each received $64.2m in cash dividend payments last year, according to documents filled with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. The group, which has been listed in New York since 2010, paid a dividend of $0.74 per share in 2011. The two cousins were also paid around $30m each, mostly from the share of investment profits from private equity funds managed by KKR. So-called carried interest is usually taxed as a capital gain, which is levied at a 15 per cent rate, rather than the 35 per cent paid on ordinary income. The head of Calpers, the largest public pension fund in the US, has called the measure "indefensible," and governments on both sides of the Atlantic are considering raising taxes on the industry's profit sharing schemes. In his 2013 budget released this month the US president proposed to "eliminate the carried interest loophole for hedge fund managers and other similar investment service providers,"a move that would raise $13.4bn, the administration estimates. There have been repeated attempts to change the tax treatment in recent years, but none have made it into law. It was also a good 2011 for other private equity executives. The three founders of Carlyle shared a $413m pay-out last year, according to regulatory fillings associated with the group's planed initial public offering. The three men currently own 60 per cent of the private equity group.. Steve Schwarzman, head of Blackstone, is expected to receive at least $120m in dividends from his one-fifth stake in Blackstone, the alternative asset manager which he helped to found. Mr Kravis and Mr Roberts also receive a base salary of $300,000 in salary, as well as the use of a car, driver and personal assistant services, the filing said. KKR also said in its fillings that it had received a subpoena from the SEC seeking documents and information involving certain sovereign wealth funds. The SEC had requested information from several private equity groups in January 2011 as part of an investigation into possible breaches of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. KKR is cooperating with the SEC's investigation.