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Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, a Taxpayer Protection Pledge signer, publicly endorsed eliminating tax deductions for Alabama families as a means for solving the state’s overspending problem last Monday.

According to the Cotton State’s governor, eliminating tax deductions is not the same as raising taxes.

“I am not for raising taxes and this actually would not be raising taxes,” Bentley said. “It would be taking away some deductions. That is certainly one of the things we’ll be looking at.”

Bentley is wrong. By signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, the governor has committed to “oppos[ing] changes in tax deductions or credits that increase the net tax burden on Americans.” 

Enacting legislation that burdens taxpayers with higher taxes and fees to fuel exorbitant state spending, goes against his written promise to the people of Alabama to “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.” Americans for Tax Reform encourages Gov. Bentley to pursue revenue neutral, pro-growth tax reform and enact spending restraint instead of raising taxes on Alabama families. He should look to the tax reform efforts in Kansas and Wisconsin as a model for the 2015 legislative session.