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
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Siletz News
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