Opinion: Mohawks oppose Catskills casino deal

Monday, March 26, 2007  

"Not all Mohawks, not even a majority, support a Monticello casino if the last public meeting at the St. Regis Tribal Council is any indication.

Confronted by the hostile crowd, tribal officials on March 3 denied that the casino deal was tied to a Feb. 17 taxation agreement with Gov. Spitzer. That agreement will give the state the authority to collect taxes from tobacco wholesalers prior to delivery to an Indian retailer and compel the tribe to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the state over any and all disputes.

The Akwesasne Mohawks have dozens of businesses and employ hundreds of workers. They all benefit from their tax-free status because they are located on Indian territory, which is by treaty and custom exempt from state laws of any kind.

Our Mohawk people insist our reservation is outside the boundaries of the state, and when they read a line in the agreement that stated, quite plainly, that Akwesasne was "within" New York, they were infuriated.

Tribal officials were accused of everything from treason to stupidity. But what was most important for the residents of Sullivan County was the claim that Spitzer pressured the tribe to agree to pay taxes to the state as a prerequisite to the Monticello deal.

On March 13, Spitzer affirmed his determination to collect state taxes on the sale of tobacco to non-Natives on Indian lands. He did so without consulting the Iroquois and in a manner that is certain to provoke resistance."

Get the Story:
Doug George-Kanentiio: Not all Mohawks agree with tax concession for casino (The Middleton Times Herald-Record 3/25)