STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – The Native American
Caucus met yesterday for a presentation on the collection and distribution of
transaction privilege tax, which is more commonly called sales tax, on Arizona’s
Native American lands.

At the meeting, Elain Smith, representing the
Arizona Department of Revenue’s Office of Economic Research and Analysis, gave
the caucus an overview of Arizona’s TPT system. In fiscal year 2015, the state
collected more than $46.3 million in TPT revenue from Arizona’s Native American
nations. However, Native American nations received only about $2.6 million in
the form of state funding for the Diné College and the Navajo Technical
College.

Rep. Gonzales agreed that the return to Native
American nations is too low.
“Currently, Diné College and Navajo Technical
College are the only Native American entities that receive TPT revenue. And the
money they do receive is less than six percent of the TPT revenue collected on
reservations. This system is totally unfair to Arizona’s Native American
communities,” Rep. Gonzales said.

“Arizonans need to know how much money is collected
by the state from all of Arizona’s 22 Native American nations, and that the
money going back to Indian nations does not reflect their contributions. This is
not an issue just for members of the Native American Caucus, but for all state
legislators and all Arizonans,” Rep. Benally said.