Americans for Tax Reform calls on Congressional candidate Jay Old to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in his bid for the GOP nomination in Texas’ 14th Congressional District.  After recent statements about federal spending, taxpayers in Texas deserve to know exactly where Jay Old stands on tax hikes.  

The Old campaign confirmed last week that he will not make the written commitment to oppose higher taxes to the people of Texas’ 14th District. Despite the campaign’s schedule, voters deserve answers about his spending agenda and tax hike plans.

Jay Old recently told the Associated Press that “Washington needs to do more to help the district’s ports stay competitive.” Finding ways to incentivize investment is certainly a worthy cause. It is concerning, however, to hear Old use this kind of rhetoric about Washington’s ability to pay the bills when he refuses to take a firm stand against higher taxes.

 “The voters in Texas should pay close attention to Jay Old’s promises,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “He promises to join Democrats in spending more of your hard-earned money if he gets to Washington. He refuses to promise that he will stand with taxpayers against the special interests and tax hikes in Washington. At this point, it’s only logical to assume that if he won’t sign the Pledge then he’s leaving the door open to pay for his higher spending agenda with higher taxes.”

To date, fellow Republican primary candidates Randy Weber, Michael Truncale, Felicia Harris, Mark Mansius, and Robert Gonzalez have all taken the Pledge. 

“I applaud candidates Weber, Truncale, Harris, Mansius, and Gonzalez for their dedication to the taxpayers of Texas,” stated Norquist. “Taxpayers deserve to know that the politicians they elect to office will stand on their side against the special interests and tax hikes in Washington. I urge Jay Old to join with these candidates in promising never to raise taxes on the voters of Texas.”

[PDF of Press Release]

Posted by Paul Blair on Monday, May 28, 2012 9:00 AM EDT

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