Sen. Baucus promotes tribal tax bond legislation

Thursday, March 6, 2008  

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana), the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has introduced a bill to treat tribal governments the same as other governments for purposes of tax-exempt bonds.

For years, tribes were able to issue tax-exempt bonds. But the Internal Revenue Service in recent years has said that projects such as casinos and hotels are not traditional "government" functions.

Local and state governments are able to issue tax-exempt bonds regardless of the purpose of the project The Tribal Government Tax-Exempt Bond Parity Act ensures that tribes are treated the same.

"Indian Country must be able to issue tax-exempt bonds in the same way that non-Indian entities do today," Baucus said at the National Congress of American Indians winter session in Washington, D.C., this week.

Get the Story:
Baucus pushes Indian bonds (The Billings Gazette 3/6)

Tribal Government Tax-Exempt Bond Parity Act
S.1850 | H.R.3164

More updates from NCAI winter session in DC (3/5)
Updates from NCAI winter session in DC (3/4)
Tribes ask Congress to end tax-exempt bond dispute (1/19)
Pechanga Band reaches deal with IRS over tips (04/28)
Memo warned IRS against going after tribes (11/07)
Cabazon Band near deal over tax-exempt bonds (10/25)
ICT: Seminole Tribe to avoid bond fight with IRS (10/11)
Per capita payments under tribal, federal scrutiny (09/26)
IRS audits Morongo Band over tax-free bonds (08/26)
IRS taking yet another stab at Indian Country (08/03)
IRS changes policy on Native corporation dividends (06/16)
Cabazon Band to challenge IRS over tax-exempt bonds (04/14)
IRS rules against second tribe in tax bond dispute (4/13)
IRS cites problems with use of tribal gaming revenues (04/06)
Cities under scrutiny as IRS probes tribal tax bonds (03/15)
IRS claims casinos, hotels not governmental projects (01/20)
Seminole Tribe confident on tax-free bonds (1/18)
Seminole Tribe won't comment on Trump lawsuit (1/14)
Trump files lawsuit over failed Seminole deal (1/13)
IRS targets tribal tax-exempt bond financing deals (12/7)
Tribal tax-exempt bond bill pushed in California (08/05)
City to issue $145M in bonds to help Morongo Band (07/28)