Democratic Senate challenger Roland Gutierrez addresses tax liens on his law practice

While Democrat Roland Gutierrez is campaigning for a seat in the U.S. Senate, he’s been battling the IRS over a series of tax liens they have placed on his private law practice in San Antonio. From 2021 to 2022, the IRS issued three liens against the Gutierrez Law Firm totaling $64,414 in back taxes going back to 2018. Tax liens are a way to make a legal claim against the assets of a taxpayer who fails to pay taxes that are owed. Gutierrez said he had been paying the IRS back, but he has a related dispute over taxes he claims the agency owes him. “Right now it’s a standstill,” said Gutierrez, a state senator and immigration attorney who is one of nine Democrats battling in the March 5 primary to see who will face likely GOP nominee U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in November.

Gutierrez said he is still waiting for a tax credit he deserves from the COVID-19 pandemic. During the shutdowns to contain the virus, businesses that continued to pay employees were able to apply for tax credits. “The government owes $80,000,” Gutierrez said during a live interview with Hearst Newspapers on Thursday. Gutierrez, 53, said that money would essentially “wash out” his IRS debt. Gutierrez has had tax liens on his businesses before. The San Antonio Express-News reported in 2018 that while he was campaigning for the state Senate, the IRS released a $26,382 lien against his law firm for unpaid payroll taxes covering the first half of 2017. They released another one months later totaling $34,807. The IRS issued a new tax lien in April 2021 against his firm for $18,669, according to records filed with the Bexar County Clerk’s Office. Later that year, they issued another for $7,283 and a third for $38,462. Gutierrez said the tax issues show how challenging it can be for a small-business owner who also is fighting to make payroll and look after his workers. “I’ve employed more people than anybody running in this race,” he said. “I’ve been a businessman for over 25 years and I’ll continue doing that.”