Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in Houston on January 17 in his bid for a third term this November. The Pledge, sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform, commits gubernatorial signers to oppose and veto any and all efforts to enact net tax hikes.
Americans for Tax Reform offers the Pledge to all candidates for state and federal office. In signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Greg Abbott becomes the 15th incumbent governor who has made this important commitment to taxpayers. More than 1,000 state legislators across the country and 20 members of the Texas congressional delegation have also signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
“I want to thank and congratulate Governor Greg Abbott for signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Governor Abbott, in addition to adhering to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge during his two terms in office, has enacted significant tax relief that has made Texas an even more attractive place to live and do business. By signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Governor Abbott makes it clear that tax hikes will not be a concern in Texas if he’s elected to a third term.”
“Texas has long been recognized as a relatively low-tax state, one that boasts no income tax. Under Governor Abbott’s leadership, not only has Texas remained a national leader in keeping taxes low, it has also become a model for spending restraint,” Norquist added. “Under Governor Abbott, the rise in state spending has been held below the rate of population growth and inflation. What’s more, Governor Abbott has begun addressing profligacy at the local level with the enactment of a reform that makes it so annual local government revenue growth in excess of 3% now requires voter approval.”
With his election last November, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) became the nation’s 14th governor to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, tying the historic record for gubernatorial Pledge signers that was set after the 2012 election. By signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge yesterday, not only did Governor Abbott make it clear tax hikes are off the table in Texas so long as he is in office, he set a new record for the number of sitting governors who are Taxpayer Protection Pledge signers. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is a public, written commitment by elected officials or candidates to the taxpayers of his or her state or district. The Pledge is a commitment to oppose and veto or vote against any net tax increase. All candidates for federal and state office have been offered the Pledge each election cycle since 1986.