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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2008)
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Oregon Revenue Department Proposes Taxing Tribal Businesses NIGA Convention On April 20-23, several Tribal Council members, along with more than 500 other Tribal officials and gam ing industry vendors, were represented at the 17,h Annual Indian Gaming Trade Show and Convention in San Diego. In addition to meetings on a vari ety of Indian gaming issues, the Na tional Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) recognized and honored Sens. Tom Daschle and Ben Nighthorse Campbell for their active support of Indian Tribes not only on gaming is sue, but also on various programs of vital importance to Tribes. It was an opportunity for our rep resentatives to participate in training workshops and to be exposed to a wide variety of innovative equipment and systems introduced at the trade show. It was another opportunity to visit with representatives of other Tribal and ca sino organizations. The National Indian Gaming Association is the strongest voice rep resenting Tribes on gaming issues. Our Delores Pigsley Tribe has been a member of NIGA since its inception. Jessie Davis served on the NIGA board when she and the Siletz council were actively involved in trying to get land in trust for gaming and during the planning and establishment of Chi nook Winds. The Siletz Tribal Business Corpo ration hosted a workshop on a recent issue whereby the Oregon Department of Revenue proposed taxing Tribal cor porations. It was an agenda item at the Oregon Commission on Indian Services when first discussed with the Tribes. Those in attendance were Tribal Council members, lawyers and staff of all nine Oregon Tribes. We stated that the Oregon Tribes are. of course, op posed to this action and have estab lished a group from the attendees that will review and make recommenda tions on what Tribes must do to address this issue. The Tribes will meet in June to re view these recommendations. Tribes like us suffered under the federal government's ill-conceived and disas trous termination policy of the 1950s, the result of which was we lost what ever reservation land base we had. Except for our casino, we have businesses that are not on trust or res ervation land. The notion that these Tribal businesses should be taxed is simply unfair, especially for “restored" Tribes that have lost enough. Restoration was the process by which we were to regain some sense of dignity and hope that we had lost. The Oregon Tribes will develop a po sition and plan of action to address the tax issue confronting us. The state should understand that the purposes for which all revenue gen erated by Tribal businesses (whether gaming or from any other source) are unlike private businesses; they are not for individual profit and gain. A review of the Tribe's goals and objectives as set forth in the Tribe's Comprehensive Plans clearly defines what the Tribe's objectives are and for what specific purposes Tribal revenues (and for that matter, all non-Tribal grants and funds from other sources) are used. The Tribe's plan allocates its rev enues, from whatever source, in order to accomplish a wide spectrum of Tribal purposes: vital health care, needed community facilities, critical cultural heritage objectives, vitally needed housing for our members, the restoration of essential cultural and natural resources, etc. I believe the state has no right to tax the revenues that the Tribe allocates for these Tribal purposes. Most Often Requested Numbers Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians 1-800-922-1399 Salem Area Office 503-390-9494 Salem Finance Office 1-888-870-9051 Portland Area Office 503-238-1512 Eugene Area Office 541-484-4234 Springfield Siletz Tribal Head Start 541-747-0161 Contract Health Services (CHS) 1-800-628-5720 Siletz Community Health Clinic 1-800-648-0449 Siletz Alcohol and Drug 1-800-600-5599 Chinook Winds Casino Resort 1-888-244-6665 Chemawa Health Clinic 1-800-452-7823 Bureau of Indian Affairs 1-8OO-323-85I7 Web Site www.ctsi.nsn. us June 2008 • Siletz News • 3
