Franken's corporation faces unpaid taxes in Calif.

Al Franken
Al Franken, a DFLers running for U.S. Senate in Minnesota.
MPR Photo/Mark Zdechlik

Al Franken's Senate campaign is responding to what it says was another accounting error related to Franken's personal corporation.

Franken's business owes California several thousand dollars in back taxes along with interest and penalties.

California Franchise Tax Board spokesman John Barrett said Franken's company needs to get in touch with California officials as soon as possible to make the matter right.

"Every corporation, once it's formed, it also has to dissolve when it finishes doing business and because the Franken corporation hasn't filed its dissolution paperwork it owes us the '03, '04, '05, '06, '07 corporate returns plus the tax penalties and interest," Barrett said.

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Franken campaign spokeswoman Jess McIntosh said Franken was not aware his corporation owes more than $4,000 in back taxes, penalties and fees to the State of California until a Republican blogger uncovered the information.

California officials say Franken registered his corporation but never filed paperwork to dissolve it when his business stopped operating there. McIntosh said if Franken's business owes the money it will pay up.

"The Franken's were operating under the advice of a certified public accountant who believed that they did not have to pay corporate tax in California for the years in question," she said.

Earlier this year, Franken's business paid nearly $26,000 to the Worker's Compensation Board of New York for failing to pay workers compensation premiums for Franken's employees for a few years.