Niagara Falls is a world-famous town and it’s broke.

That’s funny, since Niagara Falls, Canada, and Niagara Falls, Seneca, are rich.

Of course, Niagara Falls, Canada, has support from its government. They know it’s a world attraction and, if it looks good, more people will come and spend money. In Canada, they make sure it looks good.

Niagara Falls, Seneca — that 50 acre country, with its casino, tax-free hotel, tax-free souvenir, gift, and clothing stores, and tax-free restaurants — also looks good. Under Gov. George Pataki, it was created: U.S. land — given to a foreign nation to compete tax-free — against tax-paying Americans. It would be treason anywhere else.

One ironic thing said to me was, since One Niagara owes taxes and has been costly to get into building code compliance, that if I wasn’t a fool (by developing in the Falls) I should have been a Seneca, or sold them my property and be rich! As a newly-created foreign land, Seneca is above our laws — no taxes or code compliance. But not above using our roads, services, infrastructure and police protection and paying nothing for it.

True, Seneca pays a small percentage of slot machine revenue (and nothing else on other businesses) to Albany, and some trickles down to the Falls. Still, it’s less than what the Falls would get if America, instead of Seneca, had a casino, giant hotel and stores.

Still, some say “we” stole the Falls; it’s only right Seneca gets it back. But those who say it, don’t know history: It was the “Neutrals” — a peace- loving Indian tribe who actually occupied the Falls — until the mid-18th century — when Seneca came and wiped them out. Seneca occupied the Falls only briefly — before Karma caught up with them, and the Europeans threw them off. Whenever someone says Seneca deserves the Falls I really think the Neutrals deserve it since they had it first.

But should every conquered nation get their land back? That argument by extension would mean that America ought to give this country back to the British. My ancestors were in Italy when Seneca and European “atrocities” occurred. How guilty should I feel?

Not enough to believe Seneca should have legal preference over Americans.

But Seneca has a tax-free businesses zone, a gambling monopoly and sympathy. It’s a peculiarity of the Falls that we don’t understand history: Seneca or Niagara.

History: a small, famous city in one part of New York and a large, famous city on the other end — New York City, spells disaster to the small city.

Albany brokers tax money, and because NYC has more votes, NYC gets the advantage. For example, we lost our Niagara hydro-power when the (Albany-run) power authority took control 50 years ago. We had the lowest electric rates in the USA. Fifty years later we have the third highest in America — and NYC gets our low-cost power.

Then there’s the Niagara Falls state park. Albany took our natural wonder; the most visited state park in the USA, and calls it an “Olmsted Park” - after Frederick Olmsted who designed it. But Olmsted wanted no parking, no stores - only one rest stop, and the rest - absolutely green - with a surprise at the end - the fabulous Niagara Falls. The city would thrive by having stores and shops outside the park for tourists. Instead, the state park is a succession of paid parking lots, souvenir stores and restaurants - and tourist dollars go to Albany and thence to NYC.

Meanwhile, the park’s stores compete with local business and restaurants, along with the Seneca tax-free stores and restaurants, and Niagara Falls, Canada, government-beautified restaurants and stores — and you wonder why the rat’s tail, Niagara Falls, N.Y., is a ghost town.

Still, people look at my project and say — “he doesn’t pay his taxes; he doesn’t follow code compliance issues.” That I got 10 businesses up and running in the Falls, occupied its vacant, gateway property, and filled a giant hole — a real blemish in this city, paid $100, 000 in taxes, and $500,000 to get up to code (using local contractors) is achievement. And to pay for it, I parked cars, despite the fact that the Falls has a law which reads only it can profit from parking cars. Ever hear of a tourist town that doesn’t allow property owners to make money parking cars? In Canada, private land owners park for money. The Falls is the only place where government got into the business of parking cars, then made a law to eliminate the competition. Of course, they couldn’t eliminate the State Park which makes a mint on parking cars on Olmsted’s green to send to NYC. There’s a lot of injustice in Niagara Falls.

At One Niagara, I’m following rules my neighbors and competitors, Seneca, and Albany, don’t follow, and try to find success, pay taxes, and become code compliant. In the Falls that’s what’s going on. Stay tuned.

Frank Parlato Jr. is a Niagara Falls businessman.