Miccosukee Tribe under scrutiny for $61K per capita payments

Tuesday, June 29, 2010  

The Internal Revenue Service is investigating whether members of the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida paid federal taxes on their per capita payments, The Miami Herald reports.

The tribe distributes gaming revenues to its 650 members four times a year. According to court documents reviewed by the paper, the payment to each member comes to $61,000 a year.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act says tribes can share gaming revenues with their members. But the Miccosukee Tribe hasn't submitted a revenue allocation plan to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the paper said.

The IRS has tried to get the tribe to turn over documents as part of a tax probe of its members and of former chairman Billy Cypress. The tribe has cited sovereign immunity.

Get the Story:
IRS is probing casino payouts (The Miami Herald 6/29)

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