"A federal court will decide whether the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe's pending lawsuit against Ledyard, disputing the town's collection of property taxes on leased slot machines, has merit. But what cannot be taken seriously is the suit's assertion that “the tribe will suffer direct, serious and irreparable injury and economic loss if the leased gaming machines are subject to local property tax.”

Direct, serious and irreparable injury over $10,759? That's the resulting tax of slot machines leased from Atlantic City Coin and Slot Service Co. of Pleasantville, N.J., which were valued at $430,701 in the 2005 grand list. It's foolish to believe that a multi-million dollar casino entity would suffer in any way from a $10,759 tax from the town.

Ledyard mayor Susan Mendenhall raised a legitimate point recently when she reiterated the importance of determining permanent ground rules relative to taxing leased property on the tribe's reservation.

The Mashantuckets are a federally recognized tribe that is tax-exempt from tribe-owned property within the reservation. The lawsuit will explore whether the exemption applies to leased property."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Cheap Irreparable Harm (The New London Day 8/23)
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