The Republican nominee in the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, Charlie Baker, recently signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, as did his running mate for Lt. Governor Richard Tisei. By signing the Pledge, Baker has made a commitment to Bay State taxpayers that, if elected, he will “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.”

To date, nine sitting governors and nearly 1,100 state legislators across the country have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Additionally, 34 U.S. Senators and 174 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed the Pledge.

“Raising taxes is the preferred solution of lawmakers who chose not to govern. Americans, particularly during these trying economic times, need leaders who will actually govern rather than simply go back to the taxpayer trough to take more hard-earned dollars from families and employers,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “I applaud Charlie Baker for making this important commitment to heavily burdened Massachusetts taxpayers."

By ruling out higher taxes, a Baker Administration would stand in stark contrast to the Patrick Administration, which levied over a billion dollars in higher taxes just last year on hotels, meals, and adult beverages and sought to do so again this year but was unsuccessful due to opposition from legislative leadership. In addition to Baker and Tisei at the top of the ticket, over 100 candidates running for state legislative office in Massachusetts have taken higher taxes off the table by signing the taxpayer protection Pledge.

“With over $600 billion in higher taxes having been passed out of Washington, DC in the past 18 months, Massachusetts voters are rightfully searching for candidates who won’t pile on with more job killing tax increases at the state level. Unlike Governor Deval Patrick, who has used tax increases as a means for funding staff pay raises, office décor, and a Cadillac, Charlie Baker has made clear that, if elected governor, he will stand up for Massachusetts taxpayers rather than look to them as an ATM,” Norquist added. “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a long and storied history of bucking the political status quo and it is clear that a Baker-Tisei Administration would continue this tradition by putting an end to business as usual on Beacon Hill. That’s bad news for rent-seeking lobbyists and other spending interests who troll the halls of the capitol but good news for Massachusetts taxpayers.”

For a PDF of this press release, click here.