Snoqualmie Valley residents now have a new option when it comes to filling up their gas tanks and making other purchases.
After approximately a year of construction, on Monday, June 19th, the Snoqualmie Tribe’s new Crescent Market opened its doors to its first customers. As the new home of the former Snoqualmie Tobacco Company & Liquor Store, the Crescent Market has 12 fuel pumps, a quick service restaurant called ‘Crescent Kitchen,’ and a drive thru for customers to purchase tobacco products.
“Diversifying product categories in retail is something we are constantly striving to achieve,” says John Willson, Director of Retail Operations. “We will continue to offer our wide variety of liquor brands in addition to our new beer cave and growler fill station.”
The new market is part of the Tribe’s goal to create new job opportunities and help it diversify economically. Profit and tax revenue generated by the Crescent Market will support the Tribe’s government programs and services.
The new store is also opening with a management team consisting entirely of Snoqualmie Tribal Members, all who began working for the Tribe in 2011 when the Snoqualmie Tobacco Company first opened.
Crescent Market is 6,500 square feet and was designed to improve both the customer experience and the employee work environment. It has a large open floor plan, with the building complementing the design of the Snoqualmie Casino – including large wooden beams and other natural elements.
The Tribe is planning to hold its Grand Opening for the new Crescent Market next month on Tuesday, July 18th. The new store is located on the Snoqualmie Reservation at 37500 North Bend Way in Snoqualmie, Washington.
Comments
What is the price of the gas??? And are they charging Tax like the Casino does even though they do not pay any tax to the state (they are exempt as a tribe).
The State requires Tribes to collect taxes on tangible property delivered in Indian country to non-Tribal members, and services provided in Indian country to non-Tribal members.
http://dor.wa.gov/Content/FindTaxesAndRates/RetailSalesTax/Indians/IndianTaxGuide/default.aspx#SectionTitle
KING 5 News , KING 8:56 PM. PST January 07, 2015
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — Your King Crab dinner at the Snoqualmie Casino just got 8.6 percent more expensive.
Effective January 1, the casino started charging a sales tax on food and beverage purchases.
The tax is not paid to the state of Washington. It is a tribal tax authorized and collected by the Snoqualmie Tribal Council, according to spokeswoman Jaime Martin.
The tribe says it will use the money for government services and other programs benefitting tribal members.
Martin declined to say how much revenue the tribe expects to generate.
Indian tribes and taxes are a complex subject.
Tribes are able to levy taxes if they collect them on their own land, says Robert Anderson, director of the University of Washington’s Native American Law Center. Anderson says the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld tribal taxes.
We checked three other major casinos in Western Washington.
Restaurants at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma and Muckleshoot in Auburn say they do not charge sales tax, while restaurants at the Tulalip say they do.
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON
FOR YAKIMA COUNTY
COUGAR DEN INC., a Yakama Nation corporation V.
DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING OF THE
STATE OF WASHINGTON,
CaseNo.: 14-2-03851-7
Article III of the Treaty codifies the Yakarnas’ right to travel upon all public highways (“the Right to Travel”). When travel is at issue, courts and adjudicators are required to examine the historical context of the Treaty to interpret the Right to Travel as the Yakamas of 1855 would have understood it, resolving any doubtful expressions in the Yakamas’ favor. The Director’s failure to examine the historical context of the Right to Travel constitutes an erroneous interpretation or application of the law and is reversible error as provided by RCW 34.05.570(3)(d).
IT IS ORDERED that the Final Order of Director is set aside, and that Cougar Den, Inc. is exempt from the taxes, penalties, interest, and licensing requirements at issue in the adjudicative proceeding on review.
DATED this 18;day of August, 2015.
In Summary…….
In the instant case, the fuel is purchased by Cougar Den, loaded onto a tanker truck owned by KAO West, a non-tribal trucking firm, driven into the State of Washington and delivered to the Appellant on the reservation and thereafter distributed to tribal members and tribal entities. The transporter, although it executes the taxable event of crossing the border and entering Washington, is not liable for any tax. Only the owner of the fuel is subject to tax. [See Final Order of Director, Conclusion of Law #13] And the owner of the fuel is a tribal entity which has a right to travel in conjunction with trade. The purchase, transportation and delivery of fuel by a tribal entity for use by tribal members and entities is clearly shielded by the Treaty.
Consequently, the assessment of a fuel tax and associated penalties against Cougar Den by the Department of Licensing is null and void.
“ALL Department advice related to transactions in Indian Country comes from the sources below. This is the only official source of information regarding taxes administered by the Department of Revenue, despite any representations to the contrary.” http://dor.wa.gov/content/FindTaxesAndRates/RetailSalesTax/Indians/
WAC 458-20-192
(c) Tax collection. Generally, sales to persons other than Indians are subject to the retail sales tax irrespective of where in this state delivery or rendition of services takes place. Sellers are required to collect and remit to the state the retail sales tax upon each taxable sale made by them to nonmembers in Indian country. A tribe and the department may enter into an agreement covering the collection of state tax by tribal members or the tribe. (See also the discussion regarding preemption of tax in subsection (7) of this rule.) http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=458-20-192
So what does this mean? I’d personally like to see how the taxes from one gallon of gas sold on tribal land compares to one sold off tribal land. The reality is that our road system is crumbling for one reason or another and now that the state has managed to hijack every cent for the foreseeable future to be used on transit, I want to make sure i’m not shooting myself in the foot by redirecting tax dollars away from the ailing public road system.