HTN: Governor Signs Indian Tax Bill

Governor Paterson has signed a bill which would begin the collection of state sales taxes on cigarette on Indian lands. The state is looking to close a projected 15-billion-dollar budget gap, and this measure could raise upwards of 400-million dollars according to some estimates. The taxes would only be enforced on non-Indian purchases. Tribes such as the Seneca Nation say it violates treaties which are hundreds of years old. When former Governor George Pataki tried a similar move, Indian tribes shut down the Thruway and violence erupted.