johnson-liner
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- May 19, 2004
- Messages
- 201
Finally a little justice for all of us property tax payers around here....<br /><br />They've already taken over 14,000 acres off the taxroll, of which about 35 is actual reservation land. I think if they want to truly be a sovergn nation, it's time to put up a border, border patrol, and cut off the public utilities and see how they fare
<br /><br />Sherrill wins battle with Indian Nation<br />3/29/2005 11:47 PM<br />By: Al Nall, News 10 Now Web Staff<br /><br /> <br /> <br />In an eight-to-one decision, the nation's highest court sided with New York State's smallest city. The Oneida Indian Nation can no longer buy land and declare it tax exempt. City and town officials in the region and beyond are pleased the court's ruling.<br /><br />"Taxes are important to us, taxes are important to any government agency. But there is a bigger issue here too. Quality of life was an important thing here in Sherrill," said David Barker, the Sherrill City Manager.<br /><br />The decision means the Oneida Nation must now collect and pay taxes on all of its properties in the City of Sherrill, but the court's ruling has much broader implications.<br /><br />"Its significance goes way beyond this area. This is a national issue and the Supreme Court decision really speaks to the notion of Indian sovereignty," said Madison County Legislator, Scott Henderson.<br /><br />The lone dissenting vote came from Justice John Paul Stevens saying with this decision the Supreme Court has ventured into territory that belongs to Congress, something the Oneida Nation has always maintained.<br /><br />In a short statement released Monday, the Oneidas expressed regret over the high court's decision. Adding a subtle hint, the nation said it will do everything it can to protect the more than 4,200 jobs it created. Lawyers representing landowners in Madison and Oneida counties, call the court's decision a regulatory victory that righted a previous decision by the court. <br /><br />"These tribes have been going to the United Nations and to other countries of the world as if they were sovereign, independent nations. That no longer can be claimed by them, they are fully under the jurisdiction of the United States," said John Benjamin Carroll, who represents landowners in Madison and Oneida Counties.<br /><br />There is already word the New York State legislature is working anticipated tax revenue from the Oneidas into this year's budget. Some estimate the nation owes the state more than 400-million dollars in back taxes.<br /><br />Legal experts say the case will also affect several land claim issues now in the courts.