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FEBRUARY 16, 2001

The Jicarilla Apache Nation of New Mexico on Wednesday said it will appeal the Rio Arriba County tax protest board's decision to increase taxes on a 36,000-acre property the tribe owns.

Compounding the loss was last week's Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA) decision forcing the Department of Interior to reconsider the decision to take the land into trust for the tribe. The IBIA said the effects of the acquisition on local taxes were not properly weighed.

The tribe would have to pay at least $110,000 a year in taxes on their luxury hunting and fishing resort. Currently, their bill is around $15,000.

But the tribe says they are being singled out unfairly. The state Department of Taxation said it will look into how other similar game parks are assessed.

Get the Story:
Jicarillas Lose Tax Protest (The Albuquerque Journal 2/15)

Get the Trust Land Ruling:
Rio Arriba, New Mexico, Board of County Commissioners v. Acting Southwest Regional Directo (36 IBIA 14 2/6/01)

Relevant Links:
The Interior Board of Indian Appeals - www.doi.gov/oha/ibiaindex.htm

Related Stories:
Trust land decision to be reconsidered (2/13)