Senate candidate Steve Garvey says he’s working hard to resolve tax debt by end of the year

Steve Garvey says he’s “working diligently” to resolve his tax debts by the end of the year.

The Sacramento Bee reported last week that the Republican candidate for California’s U.S. Senate seat owed at least $350,000 and as much as $750,000 in back state and local taxes.

On Monday, Garvey said, “We have been taking this very seriously, have always filed our taxes on time, and we have been working diligently with our accountant and the IRS to resolve this debt by the end of the year.”

The statement, first reported by Fox News, was sent to The Bee in an email.

Garvey provided no further details.

The tax liability was part of Garvey’s required financial disclosure statement, filed last month with the Senate records office. Garvey, a former star first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, is making his first run for public office.

Such a large tax liability is extremely rare on a federal financial disclosure form, said Robert Maguire, research director at the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

The disclosure form showed that Garvey incurred between $250,001 and $500,000 in federal tax liability in 2011.

He also owes $100,001 to $250,000 to California’s coffers, also for taxes incurred in 2011, the statement said.

In both cases, it listed 8% interest on the balance due.

The statement does not specify the source of the taxes or whether the taxes are personal or business liabilities.

Rules for the disclosure statement state that a candidate “report the highest amount owed during the preceding calendar year and current calendar year through the date of filing.”

Garvey is running for the Senate against Democrat Adam Schiff for the seat held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, from 1992 until her death in September.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last fall appointed Laphonza Butler to the seat, and she declined to run for a full term.