TULALIP — Want a deal on gas?
Become a frequent gambler at either of the Tulalip Tribes’ casinos.
A new gas station is planned for Quil Ceda Village, and tribal leaders say rewards members of the Tulalip Resort and Quil Ceda Creek casinos will likely be eligible for discounts. The savings will be similar to those available at gas stations attached to grocery stores and other businesses, Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon said.
Construction is under way for the station on 116th Street NE near the Washington State Patrol offices, he said.
Tulalip tribal members will get a discount, too, but it might not come in the form of cash.
Sovereign Indian tribes and their members are exempt from fuel taxes on tribal-owned stations on reservation lands, said Brad Benfield, a spokesman for the state Department of Licensing, which regulates fuel taxes.
Fuel taxes are paid when a wholesaler purchases the fuel from a distributor, Benfield said. That’s long before the fuel reaches the pump. The tax is passed along and bumps up the price per gallon, he said.
Tribal governments that operate under fuel-tax agreements with the state can ask for a refund for a portion of the tax on fuel sold at gas stations owned and operated by tribes on tribal land. Some tribes pass that tax exemption along to tribal members by giving them a discount at the pump, but other tribes take the state refund and invest it into their own governments.
The Tulalip Tribes in 2002 signed an agreement with the state that allows for a refund based on the number of members in the tribe, Benfield said. The tribes’ leaders are currently negotiating for a flat refund of 75 percent of all the fuel taxes paid, he said.
The tribal board is still discussing its options, Sheldon said, but that money is likely to be funneled into the tribes’ general fund.
“We don’t have any firm decisions right now,” Sheldon said.
The tribal government currently does not own a gas station. Mira Star, the gas station in Quil Ceda Village, is managed by Wal-Mart, Sheldon said.
“We feel there’s enough business that putting in a gas station is an appropriate thing to do,” Sheldon said.
Plans for the new station include 16 pumps. A second phase of construction, planned for later this year and early next year, could bring a convenience store.
Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422, kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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