Tribal governments generally distribute casino revenues to tribal members so they can live on sovereign lands without having to rely solely on federal assistance.<\/p>\n
But IGRA asserts that, while casinos themselves are exempt from paying state taxes, tribal members are not immune from federal taxes and the court ruled that TGWEA does not supersede IGRA, nor can disbursements from casinos be said to be \u201cwelfare payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Even if the distribution arguably promotes the welfare of a tribe, the distribution payments cannot qualify as Indian general welfare benefits under the TGWEA because Congress specifically subjected such distributions to federal taxation in IGRA,\u201d the court ruled.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nMiramar solo Robert Saunooke, Jim\u2019s attorney, said there would be an appeal to the US Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Eleventh Circuit got it wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cTribes have the right to collect revenues and distribute those revenues as they see fit without being subjected to taxation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rubio Kidnap Claim<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Miccosukee tribe is fiercely independent and quick to assert its sovereign rights. Earlier this year, it seized a newborn baby, Ingrid Johnson, from a hospital in Kendall, South Miami, against the wishes of her parents.<\/p>\n
The child\u2019s maternal grandmother, a Miccosukee member, had asked a tribal court for an \u201cemergency order granting temporary custody\u201d because she disapproved of her non-Indian father and was concerned about domestic abuse.<\/p>\n
The court later backtracked and returned the infant after it was accused of overstepping its authority. Marco Rubio said the incident amounted to kidnapping.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Miccosukee tribe of South Florida could be facing a bill of up to $1 billion from the IRS after a federal appellate judge ruled on Monday that tribal members who receive distributions from Native American casinos are liable to pay federal income tax, in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulation Act, 1988 (IGRA). The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":79782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10,60,18,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Florida\u2019s Miccosukee Tribe on the Hook for Billion-Dollar Tax Bill<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n