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A company controlled by Moses Ross, one of the 70 candidates running for the Portland City Council this November, has been issued tax liens totaling $62,718 by the Internal Revenue Service this year for taxes stretching back a decade.
Ross runs a call center company for Democratic candidates called Smart Voter Contact, and is president of the Multnomah Neighborhood Association. He is running for one of the three council seats available in District 4, which covers all of Portland west of the Willamette River.
Ross is one of only seven candidates in District 4 who has unlocked $40,000 in taxpayer dollars for his campaign from the city’s Small Donor Elections program, which matches small campaign contributions by up to a 9-to-1 ratio. Moses unlocked the funds by getting small contributions to his campaign from at least 250 people.
Public tax records show the IRS has, since the beginning of this year, issued Ross 19 separate liens for unpaid taxes stretching back to 2014. In total, the feds have issued liens totaling $62,718.02. All but one of the liens were issued for 941 forms reporting money withheld from employee paychecks. The liens were issued to Ross’ political consulting company, the M.J. Ross Group Inc., which business records show he started in 2005.
Ross says he is currently the only employee of his company. He tells WW that the issuance of the liens led him him to lay off his staff earlier this year.
“The situation arose following the unexpected departure of my longtime bookkeeper in 2014, which led to disruptions in my pay processes,” Ross said in an email to WW. “The subsequent years, particularly during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, further compounded the issue, causing the balance to increase to the current amount.”
Ross says all funds his campaign acquired through the Small Donor Elections program will go “solely to campaign activities, and they will be used transparently and responsibly.”
Ross says he’s established a payment plan with the feds to pay down the outstanding taxes.
“I am actively addressing this matter and am pleased to report that as of July 9, 2024, the IRS has accepted my proposed plan to settle all federal tax liabilities,” Ross says. “I am committed to fulfilling my and my company’s obligations and ensuring that such issues do not arise in the future.”