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By Ashley Killough, CNN

updated 5:08 PM EST, Wed November 19, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Civil rights leader Al Sharpton sharply denounced an extensive New York Times report that he and his companies are subject to $4.5 million in current state and federal tax liens.

The MSNBC host said in a press conference Wednesday that the $4.5 million was the original figure he was ordered to pay back in 2008, but that he has been making regular payments since then and the amount is now less.

Sharpton did not give the outstanding balance owed by him and his for-profit companies --Raw Talent and Revals Communications.

Rather, he focused his remarks on how much money his nonprofit group, the National Action Network, has paid back. The liens against that organization, however, were not lumped into the $4.5 million figure reported by the Times.

The Times reported that Sharpton is still liable for personal federal tax liens of more than $3 million, and state tax liens of $777,657. The companies owe another $717,329 on state and federal tax liens.

But Sharpton argued that it wasn't possible that he still owed $4.5 million.

"If we owed $4.5 million in '08 then how could we owe this now, unless you're saying that everybody just went to sleep on this and just gave us a pass, which is ridiculous," he said.

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Sharpton fights NYT story that he owes $4.5 million in taxes