Tax hikes are on the table if Barrow wins re-election
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Barrow, a Democrat vying for Georgia’s 12th Congressional District seat, refused to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). The Pledge commits signers to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."
Former Congressman Max Burns, Barrow’s Republican opponent, signed the pledge February 11 in Savannah. Burns challenged Barrow to sign, declaring, “If he won’t, then the people of the 12th can only assume he will raise their taxes.” Barrow then refused to sign the Pledge, his press secretary stating, "John Barrow doesn\’t need to sign onto some political gimmick in order to vote against taxes."
ATR has offered the Pledge to all candidates for federal office since 1987. To date, President George W. Bush, 46 U.S. senators, and 222 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed the Pledge. Additionally, six Governors and over 1,260 state legislators have signed the Pledge as well.
“The only people who call the Pledge a gimmick are people who want to raise taxes,” said Grover Norquist, president of ATR. “President Bush, Senators Chambliss and Isakson, and all of the Republican Congressmen from Georgia have signed the Pledge. No Congressmen who have signed the Pledge have voted to raise taxes since 1990.”
“However, I applaud Congressman Barrow for being honest enough to tell Georgians that he is considering tax hikes,” Norquist continued. “Most politicians are not so upfront about such an obviously unpopular decision. Still, we encourage Congressman Barrow to reconsider his
position and to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.”