U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear appeal of racetrack tax decision

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a second appeal of Iowa’s lawsuit involving taxation of racetracks in the state. The U.S. Supreme Court last year about this time ruled state officials had the authority to tax the tracks more — but Bob Brammer, a spokesman for Iowa’s Attorney General, says the Iowa Court didn’t follow that ruling.He says they Iowa Court instructed by the U.S. court to take up the ruling again for “proceedings not inconsistent with our decision.” Brammer says though the Iowa Court used essentially the same standard or test, but came to the same conclusion. Brammer says the AG. appealed a second time, and was not surprised that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the second appeal. He says the U.S. Supreme Court hears an appeal in one case out of 70, so they knew it was a long shot. This spring lawmakers and casino operators reached a deal and lawmakers rewrote tax law to equalize taxes for the tracks and the boats. Brammer says the Attorney General would still liked to have had the high court rule on the second appeal. He says they thought there were some issues of principal still on terms of the authority of the state legislature to make tax policy. Under the agreement the legislature reached with the casinos, they waived their right to refunds of back taxes due under the original Iowa Supreme Court decision that had found the different tax rates unconstitutional.