The Seneca Nation is pressuring Governor Paterson to veto a bill that would tax cigarette sales to non-Indians; officials estimate the tax could generate $400 million in revenue, and Mayor Bloomberg recently said that tax revenue could save us from MTA fare hikes. The tribes argue that treaties dating to the 19th century make them exempt from state sales taxes; greedy white man legislators insist that sales to non-Indians are taxable. The debate is happening against the backdrop of a looming $6.4 billion deficit, and the Sun reports that Paterson could sign the bill as early as next week. But Seneca lawyer Robert Odawi Porter warns that would hurt the tribe's employment of 5,000 people and other economic benefits for western New York: "The state still comes out ahead. It just doesn't go into the Albany trough."
| 36° | 
|
- Janeane Garofalo, Comedian
- Jake Bronstein, Internet Personality
- New York in the Late 70s and Early 80s
- NYC's Maple Syrup Smell Is Still A Mystery
- Lawyer Arrested After Internet Blackmail Sex Scheme Goes Wrong
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
If we tax the red man we'll never have an MTA fare hike? I'm all for it!
How about all that money to pay the tooth fairy's expenses? It has to come from somewhere.
"The Seneca Nation is pressuring Governor Paterson to veto a bill that would tax cigarette sales to non-Indians"
Uh, don't you mean "veto a bill that would tax sales TO INDIANS?"
It it my understanding that NYS already does tax sales to non-Indians. And very heavily.
I think they mean direct sales from the Seneca Nation to non-Indians.
I remember years ago people would buy cartons of cigarettes from the reservations for half of what you would pay for them in a regular store or smokeshop. It's still going on today via internet orders.
Its obvious Paterson wants all interstate commerce to be taxed. First places like Amazon, now this.
The Seneca are a federally recognized tribe, which would seemingly mean they have sovereignty and the right to levy taxes as they see fit (similar to the states). But the state government sees a wonderful scapegoat. Why tax hedge fund managers equally to their secretaries when you could go after the Indians?
I see now. Thanks for clarifying.
It's time to take the land back from the Indians again.
Everyone else can pass down property and wealth but the Native Americans it seems.
For the loss of thier land they were promised these rights that there descedants now benifit from....its a contract same as any other - if the govt or anyone else doesnt like it, thats tough
"Its obvious Paterson wants all interstate commerce to be taxed. First places like Amazon, now this."
If I, a New York resident, buy cigarettes from the Seneca Indians, New York residents, it is not interstate commerce.
JMH: What do you mean? Maybe it's not interstate, but it's between the state and a nation--the Seneca Nation--whose sovereignty is protected by treaty rights.