Muscogee Nation considers tobacco tax compact

Thursday, April 3, 2008  

The Muscogee Nation has revived negotiations over a tobacco tax compact amid limitations being placed on the sale of Philip Morris cigarettes.

The tribal council will likely consider the compact this month, the tribe's tax commissioner said. The state previously thought a deal was dead.

A compact would help tribal smokeshops deal with a new Philip Morris USA policy. The company is limiting the number of cigarettes it sells to retailers who sell to other retailers rather than to consumers.

Muscogee smokeshops depend on retailers -- like those from the Cherokee Nation and the Osage Nation -- to buy cigarettes with low-tax stamps. In a case involving the Cherokee Nation, a state arbitration panel ruled that such sales violate the tobacco tax compact.

Get the Story:
Rule squeezes smoke shops (The Tulsa World 4/3)

Related Stories:
Editorial: What's next in tobacco compact fight? (4/1)
Ruling faults Cherokee Nation on tobacco compact (3/28)