The local tribes have made threats of violence should this have been passed. Well now it has...

[link to morichesdaily.com]

A New York State appeals court lifted Tuesday the temporary order that prevented the state from collecting taxes on cigarettes sold to non-Indian customers. But the dominant tribe in the market remained temporarily immune from the tax.

Earlier this month, a state appellate judge restored the order that kept the state from collecting the $4.35 per-pack tax. The court’s five-judge panel later ruled the state properly approved regulations for the tax.

The Seneca and Cayuga nations say the fee violates their sovereign rights and will damage their economies. However, Governor David Paterson says the state needs the $200 million the tax is expected to generate.