Al Sharpton owes over $1.5 million in taxes

Big corporations give him money. Presidential candidates seek his endorsement. He has influential friends in Congress and the governor's mansion.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, 53, perhaps the nation's most prominent civil-rights leader, doesn't believe he should have to pay taxes. 

Sharpton's lawyers and the employees of his nonprofit group, the National Action Network, have been negotiating with the federal government over the size of his debt, which they, of course, dispute. The group also has been trying to pay off tens of thousands of dollars it owes for failing to properly maintain workers' compensation and unemployment insurance.

Sharpton's own debts include $365,558 owed in New York City income tax and $931,397 in unpaid federal income tax, according to a lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) last spring. His for-profit company, Rev. Al Communications, owes the state an additional $175,962 in delinquent taxes.