A national anti-tax organization – Americans for Tax Reform – has announced that former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor and conservative grassroots leader and business owner Bernadette Wilson have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in their bid to become Alaska’s next governor.
“The Taxpayer Protection Pledge stands as a barrier against tax hikes and makes continued pro-growth tax reform possible,” Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist noted in a Dec. 19 statement. “We applaud Bernadette Wilson’s and Treg Taylor’s decision to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to their constituents, ensuring that Alaska will maintain one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation.
Alaska is one of just eight states with no personal income tax.
“In signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Wilson and Taylor are in good company,” added Norquist. “Other Taxpayer Protection Pledge signers in Alaska include Governor Mike Dunleavy, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, Senator Dan Sullivan, Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Representative Nick Begich, among others.”
The pledge was first launched in the early 1990’s to hold candidates accountable.
“Candidates running for public office like to say they will not raise taxes, but often turn their backs on the taxpayer once elected,” the Americans for Tax Reform website explains. “The idea of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is simple enough: Make them put their no-new-taxes rhetoric in writing, so the promise is much harder to break.
Nevertheless, some politicians break the pledge after signing on.
Earlier this year, for example, Alaska Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) joined state Democrats to pass Senate Bill 113, legislation that would have expanded Alaska’s 9.4% corporate income tax burden upon a host of companies that sell goods and services online.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed the legislation
The pledge is offered to all candidates running for federal, state and local office. For more information, click here.
