Navajo Nation passes tax on junk food

Update: On Feb. 12, Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly vetoed the bill to tax junk food. According to his advisor, Shelly supports the ideas behind the bill, but thinks the legislation does not make clear how the tax would be enforced.

The Navajo Nation is on its way to implementing a junk food sales tax, which could make it not only the first Native American-governed territory but also the first region in the United States to do so. 

On Jan. 30, the Navajo Nation Council voted in favor of the Healthy Diné Nation Act to increase the sales tax on junk food by two percent and eliminate the five percent sales tax on healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, water, nuts and seeds. The bill has gone to Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly who will need to approve or veto the legislation within 10 days.