Opinion: Tax rules about tribes and casinos you may not know

Friday, October 12, 2012  

"Of all the specialized tax rules for unique entities, the federal tax rules governing Native American tribes may be least understood. The only contact many Americans have with Native Americans is via Indian casinos. Here are six tax rules about Native Americans you may not know.

1. Federal Law Regulates Indian Gaming. In California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, 480 U.S. 202 (1987), the Supreme Court ruled that tribes can conduct gaming on Native American lands unhindered by state regulation in states that allow gaming. A year later, Congress enacted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA), creating a regulatory framework for gaming on Indian lands. The National Indian Gaming Commission within the Department of the Interior has oversight.

2. Tribes are Tax Exempt. Gaming on Native American lands earned $26.5 billion in 2011. 236 Native American tribes operate 422 facilities across 28 states. Yet Native American tribes and their wholly owned tribal corporations are not subject to federal income taxes on their earnings."

Get the Story:
Robert W. Wood: Native American Casino and Tax Rules That May Surprise You (Forbes.com 10/11)