FAIRBANKS -- The state's highest court has ruled in favor of the Tanana Chiefs Conference in a tax case.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says the Supreme Court ruled that four properties owned by the nonprofit Native corporation should have qualified for charitable-purpose exemptions from Fairbanks North Star Borough property taxes.

The ruling announced Thursday resolves a lawsuit challenging a denial of tax exemptions for five properties. The court found four of the parcels were rented to other charitable nonprofits for exempt purposes and therefore were tax-exempt.

The borough attorney says the decision means the borough will refund 2006 taxes and any applicable taxes collected in the following years. That could amount to a sizable sum. The David Salmon Tribal Hall alone has paid well over $100,000 in taxes since 2006.