Seneca Nation leader vows fight over state taxes


Seneca Nation Maurice A. John says the tribe will put up a fight if New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) tries to impose taxes on the reservation.

John, 58, took office last November, when Spitzer was elected governor. John has been trying to get a meeting with Spitzer but says he has been refused.

"I just want to meet with him, face to face. I just want to get a sense for what kind of man he is, and for him to meet me," John tells The Buffalo News.

The state budget anticipates $200 million in tobacco and gasoline taxes from goods sold to non-Indians. John says the tribe won't allow the state to take its livelihood away.

"We are a warrior society. We’ve always fought oppression. It’s in our DNA," he says.

Get the Story:
‘A nation of warriors’ (The Buffalo News 4/16)

Relevant Links:
Seneca Nation - http://www.sni.org
Honor Indian Treaties - http://www.honorindiantreaties.org

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