The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to consider whether Yakama tribal members are exempt from Washington state gas taxes on the reservation.
The case stems a state Department of Licensing lawsuit in 2013 against a gas station and convenience store called the Cougar Den. The state alleged the store owned by a tribal member brought out-of-state fuel onto the reservation without paying Washington’s fuel tax.
The Yakima County Superior Court and the state Supreme Court ruled the Yakama Treaty of 1855 exempted tribal-owned gas stations on the reservation from the tax, and the licensing department appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As members of a sovereign nation, Yakama tribal members are exempt from state gas, tobacco, and sales tax on the reservation. But Washington authorities complain that too often non-tribal members go to the reservation to buy goods and escape state taxes. (AP)
