Idaho Republicans targeting tribes with tobacco taxation bill

Tuesday, February 22, 2011  

Republican lawmakers in Idaho are threatening to impose the state's tobacco tax on tribes.

Lawmakers are considering a bill to raise the state's tax from 57 cents per pack to $1.25 per pack.One provision could try to force tribes to pay the same rate.

"If the tax is exactly the same, there wouldn’t be a competitive advantage to buying cigarettes on the reservation," House Speaker Lawerence Denney (R) told The Lewiston Tribune. "This is something joint leadership has been talking about since before the session began."

Republican lawmakers have tried to impose the state's tax on tribes for several years.

Get the Story:
Idaho reservations may see tobacco tax increase (AP 2/22)