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Billionaire Political Activist Steyer Had Tax Liens

Tom Steyer

Multiple local governments filed at least three tax liens against billionaire Democrat activist Tom Steyer and his wife, records from Georgia and Oklahoma show.

Oklahoma dinged the former hedge fund manager with a lien of just over $2,000 for income earned in 2003. That lien was quickly paid.

However, a document from Fulton County, Georgia, appears to show Steyer took longer to cure a tax lien of almost $27,000 for income earned in 2004. The lien document was filed and recorded in June of 2006, but does not appear to have been stamped "Satisfied" until 2008.

In 2008, Fulton County again hit Steyer with a tax lien for $700. That smaller lien was stamped "Satisfied" in 2010.

A spokesperson with Steyer's political action committee, NextGen America, did not respond to a request for comment.

Steyer authored an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times against tax reform efforts, titled, "I'm a billionaire. Please raise my taxes." He has also weighed in with his own opinion on why President Trump has never released his tax returns, telling a reporter, "It'd be embarrassing how little he makes."

Although he has been politically active in recent years via big campaign spending, Steyer's political profile has risen in recent months thanks to his television ad push intended to build political support for impeaching President Trump. The effort has earned the ire of some Democrats; responding to a New York Times report that more elected Democrats were becoming uncomfortable with his impeachment push, Steyer quipped, "[I]f you don't think it's politically convenient for you, that's too bad."

Earlier this month, Steyer also made an announcement that he would not be running for office in 2018. Instead he said he would focus on directing his millions in political spending toward building a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, which would be necessary for his impeachment efforts.

Steyer also left the door open to a possible presidential run in 2020.