Wednesday, Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele, currently vying to be the next governor, signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform. By signing the Pledge, Fedele has committed that, if elected governor, he would “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes”. In doing so, Lt. Gov. Fedele has become the only candidate in the race to sign the Pledge.
Under the Jodi Rell administration, substantial tax increases were passed, which are now being blamed, in part, on Lt. Gov. Fedele. However, as Lt. Gov., Fedele had no veto power to override those tax increases. In a recent debate, Fedele stated that were he given the authority to veto those tax increases, he would’ve done so.
To date, 12 members of the Connecticut legislature have signed the Pledge, along with 8 governors and over 1,100 state legislators across the country.
“In a state where citizens had to work through September 7th last year just to pay for the state’s onerous tax and regulatory burden, the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is as relevant as ever,” said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform. “After the tax increases that occurred under the Rell administration, Connecticut needs a new governor who is going to put a stop to job-killing tax hikes; one who is firm enough to put that stance in writing”.
“I applaud Michael Fedele for embracing pro-growth policies and his commitment to stopping the assault on Connecticut taxpayers and businesses, who already suffer under the 3rd highest tax burden in the nation,” added Norquist. “By signing the Pledge, Fedele has thrown down the gauntlet to his opponents and is showing Connecticut that a Fedele administration would abandon business as usual in Connecticut by standing up for taxpayers and not the spending interests that currently run Hartford”.