Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan said Wednesday that he shares the concerns voiced to him by convenience store owners on the issue of a disparity in the tobacco taxes paid by private retailers
November 30, 2006 (Press Release) --
Private Oklahoma retailers and Governor Brad Henry say that the alleged non-compliance puts their stores and tribal smoke shops, which are following the spirit and letter of their compacts, at an unfair competitive disadvantage.
When private retailers start collecting taxes from Indians who shop at their business and remitting those taxes to the tribe, then
there will be a level playing field. Until then, the Oklahoma governor, lawmakers and non-Indians should never say that tribes have an unfair advantage when it is actually the state who has the unfair advantage by not collecting of paying taxes to any of the tribes. Like they say, fair is fair.
It's time tribes say no to racist states leaders and lawmakers once and for all. If they can't play fair then tribes should not make compacts. States do not have power to make tribes enter into compacts, they can only punish wholesalers by moving the tax burden to them. In the past they have prohibited wholesalers from doing businesses with tribes, which is interferring with interstate commerce since tribes are sovereign nations.
When private retailers start collecting taxes from Indians who shop at their business and remitting those taxes to the tribe, then
there will be a level playing field. Until then, the Oklahoma governor, lawmakers and non-Indians should never say that tribes have an unfair advantage when it is actually the state who has the unfair advantage by not collecting of paying taxes to any of the tribes. Like they say, fair is fair.
It's time tribes say no to racist states leaders and lawmakers once and for all. If they can't play fair then tribes should not make compacts. States do not have power to make tribes enter into compacts, they can only punish wholesalers by moving the tax burden to them. In the past they have prohibited wholesalers from doing businesses with tribes, which is interferring with interstate commerce since tribes are sovereign nations.
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