Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I also wish to speak in support of S. 1507, the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2013. I am a cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation which passed the House of Representatives earlier this week. This bill would codify that general welfare benefits provided to tribal members by Indian tribes--often in areas with high levels of poverty and unemployment where these benefits are much needed--are exempt from Federal taxation. The bill would ensure parity between the tax treatment of benefits provided by Indian tribes and those provided by State and local governments. While the Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance on this issue, further action is needed to ensure that our tribal citizens are treated fairly with regard to taxation of certain tribal welfare benefits. This bill establishes a tribal advisory committee to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the taxation of tribal members. This is a bipartisan amendment with support from the National Congress of American Indians and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tribes and tribal organizations across the country, including the Great Plains Tribal Chairman Association and the Coalition of Large Tribes representing the nine tribes in my home State of South Dakota, are urging us to move forward with this legislation. The Joint Committee on Taxation has estimated that this legislation would have a negligible impact on Federal revenue.…”