NAVAJO NATION COUNCIL DEBATING LEGISLATION 0084-15: AN ACTION RELATING TO HEALTH, EDUCATIN AND HUMAN SERVICES, RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, BUDET AND FINANCE, LAW AND ORDER, NAABIK’IYATI’ AND NAVAJO NATIN COUNCIL; AMENDING NAVAJO NATIN CODE TITLE 24 BY ENACTING THE ALCOHOL TAX.

SPONSOR, DELEGATE EDMUND YAZZIE
This legislation would generate about $60,000 for police to use to buy equipment, have sobriety checks, go to schools and educate. This 3.2 percent tax would generate about $60,000 in revenues.

NAVAJO NATION TAX DIRECTOR MARTIN ASHLEY
The .2 percent tax would generate about $5,000 for the tribal tax office to administer this tax.

DELEGATE NELSON BEGAYE
i don’t really support this alcohol tax because when created casinos we were asked to approve alcohol sales to attract customers. and so if we tax then we might as well get rid of alcohol sales at casinos.
we should attack bootlegging and put our effort in there. we need to increase fines for illegal bootlegging.
we are hitting casinos and when first voted on casinos on reservation, i voted against it. but casinos are here.

DELEGATE LEONARD TSOSIE
i think everyone here supports public safety and we have talked about ways to improve public safety and we should seriously pursue alcohol tax. and people want protection. and building more jails is not the answer. we build two jails and five percent being used.
we shud use tax to build substations and provide incentives to police officers to be stationed out there. incentives could be increased retirement.
And we need to seriously consider a referendum on whether to continue being a dry reservation or allow liquor on the reservation.

DELEGATE BEN BENNETT
perhaps we need to seriously look at developing our tourism. and border towns fight annually over liquor excise tax. and navajo gets nothing. and there will come a time when the navajo nation must address the question of having a wet or dry reservation.

DELEGATE DAVID FILFRED
this is law enforcement week. And navajo people are reporting more and more empty liquor containers along the road to and from Leupp, which is near the Twin Arrows Casino & Resort. and when the council approved liquor sales for casinos, it was to be sold only in the restaurants. but now it’s sold on the casino floors and empty liquor containers are being found in the hotel rooms, which is prohibited.