Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) applauds Derek Schmidt for signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a written commitment to the voters of Kansas to oppose and vote against income tax hikes.
Candidates often make campaign promises not to raise taxes, only to abandon taxpayers once elected. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge requires candidates to put their commitment in writing – making it harder to reverse course.
Derek’s decision to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge demonstrates his strong commitment to fiscal responsibility and pro-growth tax policies.
“I strongly applaud Derek Schmidt for taking a principled stand and signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. He has exhibited a true dedication to fiscal responsibility and pro-growth tax policy by making this commitment. This Pledge is a powerful symbol of his unwavering support for hardworking taxpayers and their right to keep more of their hard-earned money,” said ATR President Grover Norquist.
He continued, “With Schmidt’s Pledge, we can trust that he will champion pro-growth policies, protect our economic freedom, and resist any attempts to burden Americans with even higher taxes.”
Americans for Tax Reform created the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in 1985 to solidify candidates’ commitments to taxpayers. President Reagan urged all candidates to sign the Pledge and campaigned for and praised candidates who did so. Today, over 1,400 elected officials and candidates on the federal and state levels are signers of the pledge.
There are currently 191 Pledge signers in the U.S. House and 42 Pledge signers in the U.S. Senate. 85% of Congressional Republicans have signed the Pledge and put their commitment to oppose tax increases into writing, contrasting with the ZERO congressional Democrats who have made this commitment.
Unfortunately, Democratic candidates for office do not share this commitment. They seek to reverse course and implement backwards tax-and-spend policies that would only stunt economic growth and take more money out of the hands of taxpayers.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have vowed to raise taxes: they have both repeatedly pledged to “eliminate”, “get rid of”, “repeal” and “reverse” the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which cut taxes for all Americans.
New candidates sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge regularly. For the most up-to-date information on these races or any others, please visit the ATR Pledge Database.