Indian Gaming > Gov. Jeb Bush wants to 'tax the Indians' for gaming

August 03, 2005

Gov. Jeb Bush wants to 'tax the Indians' for gaming

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), the brother of President George W. Bush, said on Tuesday that states should be able to "tax the Indians" for operating casinos.

Bush questioned the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which prohibits states from taxing gaming proceeds. He said he would have voted against the law were he a member of Congress at the time of its passage in 1988.

"We don't have the ability to tax the Indians. The federal law, sadly, requires us to give the tribe that has asked for a compact a better deal than exists in the state. I don't know why it is that way. I would have voted no if I was in the Congress, but that's the law of the land," he said, The Palm Beach Post reported.

Bush has started negotiations for a Class III gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe. But talks have stalled, something he blames on state lawmakers for failing to define a "slot machine."

Get the Story:
Governor blames lawmakers for stalled Indian slots talks (The Palm Beach Post 8/3)