Al Franken to Pay $70,000 in Back Taxes

Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken announced Tuesday that he will pay $70,000 in back taxes and penalties owed to 17 states. The former comedian owes state taxes going back to 2003.

The Star-Tribune has Franken’s explanation:

Franken, who has earned income across the country for celebrity appearances and speeches, blamed his accountant of 18 years for failing to pay the appropriate taxes owed in each state.

The accountant, Allen Chanzis of New York, “just made a basic kind of error that had a lot of ramifications,” Franken said.

Franken said that he paid federal and state taxes on all of his income, but that the accountant had failed to properly distribute the tax payments.

The net result, Franken said, was that between 2003 and 2006, he overpaid taxes in New York and Minnesota while failing to pay in 17 other states where he earned income.

According to recent polling, incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) leads Franken by 7 points.