Tax Commission snuffs out tribal tobacco rules for now

If the state loses...

•Tribes would win their point that the state cannot pass a rule to change a tribal compact; as a result, a new compact probably would have to be negotiated, state Treasurer Scott Meacham said.

If the state prevails ...

•The state would prove its case that cigarettes with the cheapest tribal tobacco stamps cannot be sold anywhere but specific areas along the state's border, Meacham said.

•Tribes with a tobacco compact pay an 86-cent rate.

•Tribes without compacts are to pay for a 77-cent tobacco stamp on each pack of cigarettes.