POWER OF ATTORNEY

    Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each of Daphne
Chisolm, Jennifer Fromm and Ronnie D. Kryjak as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

    (1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's capacity as an officer
and/or director of Virtus Total Return Fund Inc., a registered investment company (the "Fund"), Forms
3, 4, and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules
thereunder, and any other forms or reports the undersigned may be required to file in connection with
the undersigned's ownership, acquisition, or disposition of securities of the Fund or any other closed-end
investment company affiliated with or under common control with the Fund;

    (2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned which may be necessary
or desirable to complete and execute any such Form 3, 4, or 5, or other form or report, and timely file
such form or report with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and any stock
exchange or similar authority; and

    (3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the foregoing which, in the
opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the
undersigned, including without limitation, the completion and signing of any document that may be
required to obtain EDGAR codes or any other required filing codes on behalf of the undersigned, it
being understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned
pursuant to the Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as
such attorney-in-fact may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

    The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do and
perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the
exercise of any of the rights and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the
undersigned might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or
substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and
powers herein granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in
such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Fund assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

    This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the undersigned is no longer
required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in
securities issued by the Fund, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to
the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be executed as
of this 18th day of September, 2023.



    /s/ Steven G. Wittwer
    Steven G. Wittwer