Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) applauds Georgia State Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-96) for keeping her promise to "oppose and vote against" tax increases in the Peach State.
WASHINGTON – Today, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the nation\’s leading taxpayer advocacy organization, gave its monthly "Hero of the Taxpayer" award to Georgia State Rep. Sue Burmeister, for keeping her promise to Georgia voters to "oppose and vote against" tax hikes in the Georgia legislature.
"If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and smells like a duck, it\’s a duck!" said Rep. Burmeister in a letter to taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, who heads ATR in Washington. "I will be honoring my original pledge to the people of the state of Georgia to oppose and vote against a tax increase of any kind," she continued.
Taxes have been a touchy issue in Georgia politics, ever since Republican governor Sonny Perdue proposed a massive tax hike to cover the state\’s budget problems. Currently, forty-four states across the country, including Georgia, face overspending problems that threaten taxpayers.
"Promising to protect taxpayers from tax hikes is not a temporary promise for a two-year budget cycle," said Norquist. "Rep. Burmeister understands that a promise to oppose any efforts to increase taxes is a serious promise, and she has kept that promise," he continued.
Gov. Perdue\’s tax hike proposal would have increased tobacco taxes by almost 500%, even while ATR put forward recommendations to balance the budget without raising taxes. ATR submitted proposals that recommend reducing waste and inefficiency while generating cost savings, on Feb. 5th. This, while a cluster of state-owned office space remains vacant in downtown Atlanta, costing taxpayers bundles.
"Budget problems are the result of politicians overspending, not undertaxing," continued Norquist. "Georgia taxpayers and taxpayers all across America would be a lot better off if more legislators would take a stand against big government like Rep. Burmeister has done."