Kanye West’s Yeezy Brand Owes $600,000 In Unpaid State Taxes, Records Show

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Kanye West’s brand Yeezy Apparel owes California more than $600,000 in unpaid tax debt, according to state lien notices sent to the company in recent years, as West’s financial troubles deepen after several companies cut ties due to antisemitic comments.

Kanye West’s brand Yeezy Apparel owes more than $600,000 in unpaid tax debt.

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Key Facts

A series of lien notices—claims made on a person’s assets in response to unpaid taxes or some other debt—were sent to Yeezy Apparel by the state of California in July 2021 ($13,999) and in February ($279,085) and September ($321,591) of this year, totaling just under $615,000 including fees and penalties.

The state tax liens were first reported by NBC News.

There are also four active state tax liens filed against the Kanye West Foundation, an initiative founded by West to combat school dropout numbers, totaling $42,097.

A lien is recorded or filed against a company or person if they fail to respond to letters, pay the debt in full or set a payment plan, according to California’s Franchise Tax Board.

Yeezy Apparel did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Key Background

West’s tax debt to California adds to his growing financial woes. Companies like Adidas, Balenciaga, Gap and Foot Locker severed ties with West this year due to a series of antisemitic comments, including a threat to go “death con 3 on Jewish people” and statements that he “likes Nazis” and can see “good things about Hitler.” West’s Yeezy Apparel, which has operated in California since 2017, previously had collaborations with both Gap and Adidas. In 2020, the company received more than $2 million through the Covid-era Paycheck Protection Program, after it brought in close to $1.3 billion in 2019. West also told podcast host Tim Pool last month the Internal Revenue Service placed a $75 million hold on his accounts and that he owed an estimated $50 million in taxes, according to Business Insider. Meanwhile, as part of a proposed divorce settlement between West and Kim Kardashian, West agreed to pay $200,000 per month in child support, though neither will have to pay spousal support, according to the Associated Press.

Big Number

$2 billion. That was West’s estimated net worth prior to Adidas’ decision to cut its partnership with the rapper, who now goes by Ye, according to Forbes’ estimates. Now, Forbes estimates his net worth to be just over $400 million.

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