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PRESS RELEASE FROM AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM
Contact: John Kartch ( jkartch@atr.org or 202-785-0266)

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10/11/04

Neugebauer Beats Stenholm on Tax Issues
Americans for Tax Reform confident Neugebauer would continue to fight for taxpayers in Congress

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Randy Neugebauer was applauded by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) , the nation’s leading taxpayer group, for his outstanding congressional record. Redistricting has placed Neugebauer in contention with Congressmen Charlie Stenholm for Texas’ 19 th district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Since he was elected to Congress in 2003, Neugebauer has received ATR’s seal of approval yearly as a “Hero of the Taxpayer.” He has also signed the group’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge," a written commitment to the taxpayers in a candidate's district to oppose all tax increases, joining President George W. Bush, 42 U.S. senators, and 218 members of the U.S. House of Representatives in signing the pledge. Stenholm, like Presidential candidate John Kerry, refuses to take the pledge.

“It’s really very simple. Neugebauer signed the pledge,” said Grover Norquist , president of ATR . “Stenholm just can’t compete.”

Stenholm paints himself as a middle of the road candidate. He is a Democrat who has voted against his party 42 percent of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly.

“Stenholm tends to flip-flop around,” said Norquist. “He’s not really with the Kerry camp and he’s definitely not with the Bush camp.”

In 2003 and 2004, Stenholm regularly voted against the taxpayer. He voted for reducing the child tax credit for the poorest families. He voted against issues such as overtime reform and a permanent 10 percent income tax bracket. He also voted against legislation that put money back into the hands of hard working, middle class workers, such as alternative minimum tax reform and the repeal of the death tax.

Neugebauer, in contrast, voted for the taxpayer on all of these issues, receiving a 100 percent rating from ATR. He supports Bush’s tax cuts and would like to see them made permanent. Stenholm claims he will support the President’s proposal on fiscal restraint, but claims that, “that alone will not get our fiscal house in order.”

“Stenholm is using John Kerry-speak for 'I’m gonna raise your taxes,'” Norquist concluded. “Sooner or later he’s going to have to pick a side, and it won’t be the taxpayers.”

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Americans for Tax Reform is a non-partisan coalition of taxpayers and taxpayer groups who oppose any and all federal and state tax increases.  For more information, or to arrange an interview with Mr. Norquist please contact John Kartch at (202)785-0266 or by email at jkartch@atr.org.