Nate Paul is Travis County’s Most Delinquent Taxpayer Again

Embattled Austin developer Nate Paul continues to make headlines for unbecoming reasons.

The Travis County Tax Office declared Paul as the most delinquent taxpayer in the county for the third consecutive year, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Paul, who was once among the top dogs in Austin real estate, owes over $3 million in taxes on eight properties, held under LLCs associated with his name.

Paul’s delinquencies account for more than half of the $5.6 million in debt among the top 10 delinquent taxpayers of 2023.

“I’ve sent letters and made phone calls hoping to collect the payment in full or work out a payment plan for those struggling to pay, and the property owners on this list are avoiding me,” Tax assessor-collector Bruce Elfant said.

Paul also topped the list in 2022, when he owed over $1 million on six properties. Although five of those payments were eventually made after that release, the sixth property, located on Lambie Street, remains delinquent due to bankruptcy proceedings. The Tax office is unable to pursue payment outside of bankruptcy court.

Property owners were given until January 31 to settle last year’s tax bills, after receiving them in November. Failure to pay results in accounts being forwarded to the county attorney’s office for foreclosure proceedings, with properties auctioned off publicly.

Paul’s tax issues compound an array of legal troubles, including federal charges of defrauding the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation, a Travis County nonprofit. Federal prosecutors accuse Paul of deceiving financial institutions to secure loans while understating his liabilities and overstating available funds. To help resolve the Mitte Foundation’s claims totaling nearly $2.5 million in damages, Paul is seeking to offload properties in Austin.

Separately, Paul has been indicted on 12 counts of making false statements to lenders and wire fraud, with a trial scheduled for November. Paul has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Paul made national news last year, when he was implicated in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s failed impeachment trial in 2023. Paxton was accused of accepting bribes from Paul in exchange for legal favors, but the attorney general was ultimately acquitted.

—Quinn Donoghue