AOC facing increasing fines for failure to resolve unpaid tax warrant

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), is facing fines for failing to resolve an unpaid tax warrant dating back five years.

The warrant was filed against a publishing house founded by the congresswoman in 2012 which was dissolved in 2016.

According to the Washington Examiner, the state of New York filed the warrant against Brook Avenue Press on July 6, 2017, seeking $1,618 in unpaid corporate taxes.

After five years of not paying, the amount has risen to $2,461.

In 2020, AOC's office told the New York Post that the congresswoman was contesting the tax warrant, stating that, "The business has been closed for several years now, and so we believe that the state Tax Department has continued to collect the franchise tax in error."

"As anyone who's tried to contest a tax bill in error knows, it takes time," spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said.

As of 2022, however, it is unclear whether AOC is still contesting the warrant or has decided to pay for it.

As DNA Info reports, shortly after she founded Brook Avenue Press, AOC announced her support for a bill that would double the tax deductions for new business start-up costs to $10,000.

"You don't really make a profit in your first year," AOC said at the time. "To get taxed on top of that is a real whammy."

The congresswoman has long advocated for higher taxes, and has not shied away from her position on the issue. In 2021, she arrived at the exclusive Met Gala wearing a white dress with the words "TAX THE RICH" in red on the back.

It was later revealed that the designer of that dress owed debt in multiple states, including delinquent tax bills.