New York Blocked From Collecting Cigarette Tax on Indian Land
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New York Governor David Paterson said a state appellate court has blocked officials from implementing a new tax on cigarette purchases on Indian reservations by non-tribal buyers.
Judge Samuel L. Green of Rochester issued a temporary restraining order preventing New York from collecting the taxes, which was slated to begin today, Paterson said in an e-mailed statement. The Seneca Nation, one of the tribes fighting the tax, said the plan is an attempt to use them as “piggy banks” to balance the budget and a threat to their sovereignty.