Nic Cage is on his road back to financial stability… The actor recently cut a $6 MILLION chunk off his MASSIVE tax bill to the federal government, according to TMZ.

After Cage paid the IRS $6,257,005 on Feb. 15, the federal government dismissed a lien against him, according to a copy of the paperwork acquired by TMZ. That was the amount he owed for the tax year of 2007. The federal authorities issued a tax lien on Cage’s real-estate interests in late 2008.

This does not absolve Cage of his IRS debts, but it is a significant step forward. Cage still owes roughly $6 million more of the initial $13 million debt, which stems from tax issues dating back to 2002. Cage blames his (former) business manager for the tax problems, and he has made several small (for him) payments to bring the figure down to where it is now.

That explanation may keep a person out of jail, but it will not prevent the IRS from pursuing its money. They’ll go out of their way to get it, too. Wage garnishments are common, as are liens, such as the one filed on Cage’s real estate assets.

Cage’s alleged purchases indicate that he lived a lavish lifestyle. The “Leaving Las Vegas” star is said to have purchased castles, entire islands, a lot of real estate, and a lot of cars. He also owns a sizable collection of rare comic books. He even purchased a dinosaur skull.

Cage is fortunate in that he is in a position in Hollywood where he can make some quick bucks. Cage occupies an unusual strata of Hollywood stardom in which he can appear in any crazy project he wants and members of the Nic Cage cult will show up just to see what he does next, despite the fact that he is no longer the critically adored movie star/artist that he once was. So, in between enormous blockbusters like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (on which Cage may have been the only actor to make a profit), he stars in little, quirky films, such as the joyfully bonkers Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.

As we previously reported, Cage has been steadily paying down his debts from 2002 to 2004… and with a couple more “Ghost Rider” films, he could be back on track in no time.