Mecklenburg County says ex-Speaker owes back land tax

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A Mecklenburg County tax official says former House Speaker Jim Black owes about $7,200 in taxes on land that was undervalued.

Black now is trying to sell the land for more than four times the tax value to help pay a court fine.

The Charlotte Observer reports that the property near downtown Matthews was bought in 1994 for $200,000. It is valued for taxes at $203,000 and is on the market for $950,000.

County tax assessor Garrett Alexander says he will try to collect the $7,200 in tax. He says the property's rezoning after Black bought it wasn't reported to the county.

Black is serving a five-year federal prison sentence for corruption. He also was fined $1 million by a state judge and told to pay the fine by December 10th or face another two years in prison.