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I live part time in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs). There are 6 Indian casinos in that area, so I see it first hand.

If you go into a casino and buy a product, have a drink or a meal, you will be charged the standard CA state sales tax rate on you purchase. However, big surprise, the Indians keep this money, while the typical customer thinks they are simply paying the state sales tax.

If you stay at an Indian hotel, they will charge you the standard room tax of 12 to 15%. Once again, big surprise, this money is not going to the local city. It is kept by the Indians.

Folks, it is the Indians dirty little secret, and the average casino/hotel patron thinks it is just the state/city taking their pound of flesh.

Then, the local cities have to beg to get the Indian tribes to contribute to the upkeep of the surrounding city that provides them with all their services.

If an Indian lives on the reservation, that Indian does not have to pay the CA vehicle license tax which was just tripled by Gray Davis.

As for free education, well it isn't quite free but they do get to pay the same in-state rates as a regular CA resident and taxpayer.

This whole system stinks. The biggest tragedy of all is that Gray Davis just signed into law a bill that will give the Indians the right to declare enormous amounts of lands throughout the state as sacred grounds, thereby stopping or limiting their development by the legitimate owners. Of course, I am confident those same Indians will be willing to look the other way for a substantial fee.

I live part time in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs). There are 6 Indian casinos in that area, so I see it first hand.

Soon to have a seventh, since the Torres-Martinez group got their compact.

If you go into a casino and buy a product, have a drink or a meal, you will be charged the standard CA state sales tax rate on you purchase. However, big surprise, the Indians keep this money, while the typical customer thinks they are simply paying the state sales tax.

The tribe doesn't get any of the sales tax money, that is paid directly by the casino to the state. A simple phone call to the State Franchise Tax Board can verify this.

If you stay at an Indian hotel, they will charge you the standard room tax of 12 to 15%. Once again, big surprise, this money is not going to the local city. It is kept by the Indians.

They're not required to charge the tax unless they make an agreement with the city, and if they make such an agreement, they've paid the tax. A call to Temecula verified that Pechanga pays the agreed upon room tax rate. I don't know the details on the Spa Hotel and Casino, for example, but it would not be surprising that the Palm Springs City Council never signed a room tax agreement with the tribe. Then again, considering how much of Palm Springs is actually on the tribe's land.. Well, in any event, Milanovich (the chairman of the tribe) wouldn't give anything he wasn't forced to.

Folks, it is the Indians dirty little secret, and the average casino/hotel patron thinks it is just the state/city taking their pound of flesh.

The average casino/hotel is paying that pound of flesh to the proper authorities.

Then, the local cities have to beg to get the Indian tribes to contribute to the upkeep of the surrounding city that provides them with all their services.

Absolutely no argument there - the medical services just to the Spa Casino alone has got to top over a million dollars a year. Recently down at Barona I watched a life-flight helicopter land and pick up a casino patron to airlift to a hospital. And all I could think about, aside from hoping the person would be well, was there is another couple grand that the tax payers get to pay because the casino is sitting in the middle of nowhere.

If an Indian lives on the reservation, that Indian does not have to pay the CA vehicle license tax which was just tripled by Gray Davis.

Vehicles which do not leave reservation land are not subject to being registered. Since they never touch California's highways, they shouldn't be taxed anyway. I've no argument against this law, however, people who abuse the law (IE: the chairman of San Manuel) should be fined and/or jailed.

As for free education, well it isn't quite free but they do get to pay the same in-state rates as a regular CA resident and taxpayer.

They are California residents and taxpayers, except for what income they get from tribal enterprises, earned on their tribal land. They don't have to pay sales tax on something bought from their tribal enterprises while on their land. Again, something I can't argue against. When they leave the reservation and erroniously claim they don't have to pay sales tax at stores, that's where my anger comes in.

This whole system stinks. The biggest tragedy of all is that Gray Davis just signed into law a bill that will give the Indians the right to declare enormous amounts of lands throughout the state as sacred grounds, thereby stopping or limiting their development by the legitimate owners. Of course, I am confident those same Indians will be willing to look the other way for a substantial fee.

The Indian Commission is the one who sets where sacred sites are and controls the approval/disapproval process. I know of no tribe that supported that law, and many demanded a veto. It was one of those wonderful Democrat tricks that was doing 'the best thing for the tribes.' Instead, it put California's developemnt in the hands of appointments made by governors who do not represent the tribes of California, or the American Indian population of the state. Several commission members aren't even members of tribes recognized by the federal government, or other tribes. Others dispute the claims by the commission members as to their tribal bonifieds.

Everyone should remember that members of out of state tribes (especially the Navajo) outnumber California's tribes by a margin of at least 10 to one. Los Angeles alone has more out of state tribal members than the entire population of federally recognized California tribes.