Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez still fighting $2,000 tax bill from failed publishing venture

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is still in the process of fighting a $2,000 tax bill from a failed publishing company she founded in 2012.

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democratic socialist who routinely advocates for higher taxes on the rich, has an outstanding tax lien from 2012 for her now-defunct company Brook Avenue Press, which was meant to publish children’s stories by Bronx artists, the New York Post reported.

Documents show the state dissolved Brook Avenue Press in October 2016, which can happen when a business fails to pay corporate taxes or file a return, the Post reported.

The state slapped the company with a tax warrant in July 2017, two months after Ms. Ocasio-Cortez announced her successful bid against Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley, the Post reported.

The bill’s balance had reportedly grown to $2,088.78 as of Friday. A spokeswoman for Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said the bill was issued in “error” and was being contested.

“The congresswoman is still in the process of contesting the tax warrant. 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,” Lauren Hitt told the Post. “As anyone who’s tried to contest a tax bill in error knows, it takes time.”