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Dr. Ben Carson, a candidate for the presidency of the United States, has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to the American people. 

The pledge is a written commitment to the American people to “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.” 

“By signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to the American people, Ben Carson pledges to protect American taxpayers against higher taxes,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Dr. Carson understands that government should be reformed so that it takes and spends less of the taxpayers’ money, and will oppose tax increases that paper over and continue the failures of the past.”


Dr. Ben Carson signs the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in Exeter, New Hampshire on July 7, 2015

Though still early in the GOP presidential contest, most formally declared candidates have made a written commitment to the American people to oppose and veto tax hikes. Carson joins Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, and Mike Huckabee in making this promise.

ATR has shared the Pledge with all candidates for federal office since 1986. In the 114th Congress, 49 U.S. Senators and 218 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed the Pledge. On the state level, 13 incumbent governors and approximately 1,000 incumbent state legislators have signed the Pledge.

In 2012, all candidates for the Republican nomination for president signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, with the lone exception of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Huntsman finished seventh in Iowa and third in New Hampshire before dropping out of the race.