Replies

Tax breaks, Indian reservations (sorry if I used the wrong word earlier), and sovereignty will never be enough to make up for the past. But maybe it's better than nothing?

1. There is no tax exemptions just because one is an indian. It doesn't work that way. I don't know where you get your information from, but it is very inaccurate. A check with the IRS will tell you that.

2. reservations were not "given" to us as a way of making up for a wrong - reservations are the RESULT of the wrongs. Reservations are not a payment - they are a curse. But, you wouldn't know that, as you've obviously never lived on one - that's not a criticism, so don't take it as such, tho.

Our "sovereignty" is much like the sovereignty that teh states enjoy. While constitutionally tribes are dependent nations within a nation, the reality is much different. We are "sovereign" in much the same way states are "sovereign" of the federal government... Sovereignty is grantedbecause of treaties made - treaties that are constitutionally sound. THAT is the difference - tribes were sovereign nations, defeated in war and given a special status under the constitution... The same cannot be said with regards to slavery...

Teh situations, while a convenient argument FOR reparations (or "tax breaks" and/or "tax exemptions" are actually a more valid argument AGAINST...

1. There is no tax exemptions just because one is an indian.

As I said, some states exempt Native Americans from income tax--as in state income tax--simply because they are Native American.

For example, California.

See this website:

As a Native American, Do I Have to Pay State Income Tax?
You are exempt from California state income tax if you meet all three of the following conditions:

You are an eligible Indian
You live on your reservation or Indian trust allotment (the trust land need not be on the reservation) and
You work on the reservation or trust allotment
If you meet all of these conditions, you are eligible for the exemption. Review the information in this guide – it will help you determine if you meet these conditions.

I’m an Indian. Are all Indians eligible for the exemption from state income tax?
If you are a member of a federally-recognized tribe, you are eligible.
If you not a member of a federally-recognized tribe, you may or may not be eligible, depending on your individual circumstances.

Utah: "An enrolled member of a Native American tribe in Utah who lives and works on the reservation on which he/she is an enrolled member is exempt from Utah income tax." http://incometax.utah.gov/deductionsnativeamericans.html

Colorado exempts those who earn their money on the reservation.

Nevada: "Filing your Nebraska state income tax return - The common deductions allowed in Nebraska are: [...] Native American Indian Reservation Income"

Etc.

As for federal income tax, as I said, there are special exemptions in IRS code, Section 45A: Indian Employment Credit; Section 61: State charted Indian tribal corporation will be exempt from Federal taxation. Gross income -- Derived from Business - Income of corporation wholly owned by Indian tribe is exempt from tax. Section 7805: Tribe is entitled to retroactive relief from Federal income taxes

Another notable federal income tax exemption is "Indian gaming profits," as stipulated in IRS form 945.

And a common state exemption is the cigarette tax. Native Americans are the only ones I know of exempt from that one.

reservations were not "given" to us as a way of making up for a wrong - reservations are the RESULT of the wrongs.

I agree. The reservations were set up under treaties as the result of wrongs.

However, I have read that reparations were paid in the 1980s to Native Americans for the loss of their land. I know nothing about that first hand, maybe you could help.

This website says: "The notion of reparations surfaced again during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It gained attention in the 1980s, when the government paid millions to Indian tribes who had lost land and to Japanese-Americans who were interred during World War II." http://www.sweetliberty.org/s2.htm

Reservations are not a payment - they are a curse.

LOL! I'm sure they are. Most of my Native American friends don't live on reservations--otherwise, I'd never have met them--but I had a good friend and her family move to one. She was never the same after that.

Interesting history. Thanks.

The same cannot be said with regards to slavery...

Right. For the descendents of slaves there is nothing.

Teh situations, while a convenient argument FOR reparations (or "tax breaks" and/or "tax exemptions" are actually a more valid argument AGAINST...

The point is, there is nothing wrong with tax exemptions based on race. And there's nothing inherently wrong with reparations--that is, repairing damage caused by past wrongs, particularly when those wrongs were egregious. The debate should be over the HOW to go about doing it. So far, the liberals have had a monopoly on that debate.

Thanks for the discussion. It's enlightening.