State Rep. Vincent Dixie, who is running for Congress, owes more than $318,000 in back taxes to the IRS — a debt he has carried for at least eight years, records show.
Dixie is facing Nashville businessman Darden Copeland in the the Democratic primary in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District
. The victor will face Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps in November. Dixie has represented state House District 54 since 2019.IRS notices filed with the Davidson County Register of Deeds show seven tax liens against Dixie and his wife, Ericka, totalling $318,427 in unpaid taxes between 2013 and 2015.
An eighth lien in the amount of $907 was released in 2024.
In 2020, the Tennessee Department of Revenue filed a ninth, separate lien for outstanding
tax debt Dixie owed related to a business located on Brick Church Pike. The public lien document does not list the amount Dixie owes, but states that "after demand for payment," the funds "remain unpaid."
"I am not sure why this was relevant then or why it is now," Dixie told The Tennessean in an email. "However, I am currently in the process of working with the IRS to resolve this matter and am in the appeal phase of a settlement."
Dixie said the majority of outstanding taxes owed "consists of penalties and interest that have accumulated over time during this ongoing resolution process."
"As a small business owner with limited resources, I have been actively working to resolve this issue with the IRS," Dixie said. "I am pleased to share that the issues concerning the 2013 tax year have been completely resolved, and there have been no tax issues since that period. I remain fully committed and am continually working towards a final resolution for the remaining years."
The Tennessean first reported Dixie's outstanding back taxes in 2018, when he first ran for the state legislature. At the time, he owed about $318,000. Dixie told The Tennessean that he had entered into a 24-month payment plan with the IRS.
"I have served my community dutifully and faithfully for the past eight years. Not once has my commitment or leadership been compromised by this issue with the Internal Revenue Service," Dixie said. "This matter is a distraction from the real struggles that working families are facing every day, and I remain entirely focused on the fight for our community."
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: State Rep. Vincent Dixie has owed IRS $318K for the past 8 years
