Citing a need to increase revenues and provide governmental services, the Tohono O'odham Nation has joined the state of Arizona in raising tobacco taxes.
State voters approved an 82-cent increase on a pack of cigarettes last November. Although the tax doesn't apply on reservations, the Tohono O'odham Nation went ahead with its own increase on December 19.
"We have so many needs that we haven't been able to keep up with. A lot of people are still in a state of poverty, and there are no jobs. Our waiting lists are so long in terms of housing, different things that people need to improve their lives," Harriet Toro, a tribal executive assistant, told The Tucson Citizen.
The increase has smokers looking for cheap cigarettes in Mexico and on the Internet. That has hurt business on the reservation by 30 to 40 percent, said a smoke shop manager.
"It's hit us hard," Donna Martinez told the paper. "People say they're going to Nogales, going to the Internet."
But some people are going to the Pascua Yaqui Reservation. The tribe hasn't raised its tax.
Get the Story:
Mexico's prices luring U.S. tobacco buyers
(The Tucson Citizen 1/3)
Advertisement
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
More Headlines
Tim Giago: A disease that ravages Indian Country and America
EPA unveils Western office to focus on abandoned mine tracking, cleanup
Following McGirt decision, Oneida Nation case continues string of Indigenous court victories
Clara Caufield: Enduring the COVID Pandemic
Native Sun News Today: Authorities target traffickers during Sturgis rally
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn: A state of war?
Native Sun News Today: 'Sovereignty is Real'
Native youth navigate complex, contradictory jurisdictions
President of Oglala Sioux Tribe suspended ahead of impeachment hearing
'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
Tribes, Nevada Guard combine efforts for COVID-19 testing
More Headlines
EPA unveils Western office to focus on abandoned mine tracking, cleanup
Following McGirt decision, Oneida Nation case continues string of Indigenous court victories
Clara Caufield: Enduring the COVID Pandemic
Native Sun News Today: Authorities target traffickers during Sturgis rally
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn: A state of war?
Native Sun News Today: 'Sovereignty is Real'
Native youth navigate complex, contradictory jurisdictions
President of Oglala Sioux Tribe suspended ahead of impeachment hearing
'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
Tribes, Nevada Guard combine efforts for COVID-19 testing
More Headlines