
- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Tulalip Tribes have reached an agreement that could end a federal lawsuit and allow it to begin collecting a portion of the tax receipts generated by the shopping center that borders its reservation.
The agreement between the Tulalip Tribes, the state of Washington and Snohomish County is an important step to resolve a five-year legal battle over who is entitled to collect sales tax at the Quil Ceda Village shopping mall in Tulalip, Wash. Under the agreement, the Tribes would receive a cut of the state’s sales tax collected.
As part of the agreement, the Tribes will invest $35 million to build a 48-be civil commitment center in Snohomish County.
Terms of the agreement are contained in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the tribes, the county and the state. First, lawmakers need to grant Gov. Jay Inslee the authority to negotiate a tax-sharing compact with the Tulalips and other tribes in the state.
Lawmakers in the state House and Senate held hearings last week to consider bills that would grant Inslee that authority.
The Tulalip Tribes originally filed the suit to assert their sovereign rights and stop the state and country collecting sales tax at Quil Ceda Village. In 2018, after a federal judge ruled in favor of the state and county, the Tribes appealed the ruling.
More Stories Like This
American Basketball Association Announces Native ABA InitiativeFour Winds South Bend Upgrades to Class III Gaming Casino
Native News Online Wins Two Awards from Native American Journalists Association
Wahlberg Brothers Are a Big Hit at Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention in Las Vegas
Native Gro Offers Tribes a ‘One-Stop Shop’ for Entering the Cannabis Industry
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.