Pojoaque Pueblo in New Mexico says it shouldn't have to pay property taxes on a ranch valued at $6 million.

The tribe bought La Mesita Ranch last year. The property includes six houses, a swimming pool, a tennis court and an indoor equestrian center.

The tribe doesn't plan to submit a land-into-trust application for the site. General counsel Frank Demolli said doing so would give control to the federal government.

"That means it's just like an air base or something," Demolli told The Santa Fe New Mexican. "The federal government owns the land and they can decide they want to take that federal reservation land and break it up."

The tribe asked the Santa Fe County Assessor's Office for an exemption but the request was denied. The office suggested the tribe go through the land-into-trust process.

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Pojoaque Pueblo fights to make La Mesita Ranch exempt from property taxes (The Santa Fe New Mexican 9/26)