FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation president has
vetoed a proposal to impose an additional tax on chips, cookies and
sweetened beverages on the country’s largest reservation, but the
legislation could be resurrected later.
President Ben Shelly
supports the idea of a junk food tax as a way to combat high rates of
diabetes and obesity among tribal members and encourage healthy
lifestyles, his adviser Deswood Tome said Wednesday. But Shelly said the
legislation isn’t clear on how the tax on snacks high in fat, sugar and
salt would be enforced and regulated, according to Tome.
"There
are a lot of supporters out there for the tax, and again, the president
wants a plan that works," Tome said. "He’s asking the (Tribal) Council
to take back this initiative and redo it so that the burden is not on
the government to implement a law that is going to create hardship,
especially in the collection of taxes."
The Dine Community
Advocacy Alliance and tribal lawmakers had been positioning the Navajo
Nation to become the leader in Indian Country when it comes to using the
tax system to press tribal members to make healthier choices.
School
districts across the country have banned junk food from vending
machines. Cities and states have used taxes and other financial
incentives to encourage healthy choices, according to the National
Conference of State Legislatures, but not all the efforts have been met
with overwhelming support.
The legislation in the Navajo Nation Council did not have a smooth ride either.
Denisa
Livingston of the Dine Community Advocacy Alliance said the group
worked for two years to get tribal lawmakers to pass the legislation.
Dine is the Navajo word for "the people."
Livingston said American
Indians are more likely to suffer from diabetes and other chronic
health problems than the average American.
She estimated that
imposing an additional 2 percent tax on junk food sold on the Navajo
reservation would result in at least $1 million a year in revenue that
could go toward wellness centers, community parks, walking trails and
picnic grounds in tribal communities. The tax would have expired at the
end of 2018.
"Every one of our Navajo families has someone who is
suffering from chronic disease," she said. "This is the initiative we
wanted to take because we see our families suffering."
About 14
percent of the people in the area of the Navajo Nation have been
diagnosed with diabetes, according to the federal Indian Health Service.
American
Indian and Alaska Native adults are twice as likely to be diagnosed
with diabetes as non-Hispanic whites, and Native children ages 10 to 19
are nine times as likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the
agency said.
Opponents of the tax in Navajo communities in
Arizona, New Mexico and Utah argued it would burden consumers and drive
revenue off the reservation.
Shelly also vetoed a companion bill
to eliminate the tribe’s 5 percent sales tax on nuts, fresh fruits and
vegetables. Tome said Shelly would like lawmakers to revise the
legislation to address his concerns.
The Tribal Council can
override Shelly’s vetoes with a two-thirds vote of its 24 members.
Livingston said she would pursue that option with lawmakers.
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