Academy Award-nominated actor Terrence Howard owes the Internal Revenue Service $1.2 million and the state of California $156,000 in back taxes, according to papers he filed in court.

According to reporting by TMZ, Howard argues that these substantial federal and state tax debts make him able to afford only to pay his ex-wife, Michelle Ghent, the $2,000 he’s paid her, not the nearly half million dollars in spousal support and legal fees she’s demanding.

Time will tell, as the litigation process grinds forward, whether Howard’s argument will be successful.