Congressional candidate Abel Maldonado is no friend of taxpayers. Not only has Maldonado refused to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge for his CA-24 race, he betrayed voters by violating his written commitment to them to “oppose any and all tax hikes” as a state legislator. In 2009, Maldonado cast the deciding vote for a $13 billion tax hike. Although the former State Senator and Lieutenant Governor may have the talking points of a Republican candidate, he is far from a supporter of limited government and pro-growth economic policies.

The 2009 tax hike was the largest tax increase of any state in history. It seemed unconscionable at the time that in the middle of the largest recession in modern history, Maldonado’s political ambitions took precedent over a promise he made to the taxpayers who elected him.

Under the facade of “compromise,” Maldonado stood with Sacramento special interests and against Californians. For that, Americans for Tax Reform awarded him the “Richard Rich Backstabber Award” for what he did to taxpayers.

 “Abel Maldonado is a tax hiking Republican and voters should pay close attention to his record,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “California’s number one employer is the government and the state budget has more than doubled in the last decade, both thanks to politicians like Maldonado.”

 “Because of Maldonado, joint filers and families in California had to pay $125 more in income taxes after the 2009 tax increases. Buying a new car cost buyers an additional $250. To license that same car, it cost an additional $125,” continued Norquist. “California has raised taxes and fees each and every time they run out of money. The problem that tax hikers like Abel Maldonado face is that as anti-growth policies and high tax rates force people and businesses out of the state, it becomes much more difficult for the government to pay the bills.

Not only has Abel Maldonado joined with liberals in the California-tax-and-spend-a-thon, but he played a key role in making it more expensive to live and work in the state. I urge voters who are thinking about voting for Maldonado on June 5 to reconsider.”

[PDF of Press Release]

Posted by Paul Blair on Friday, June 1, 2012 3:24 PM EDT

To follow Paul Blair's RSS feed click here. To follow them on Twitter, their handle is @gopaulblair