Congress Should Sign Feeney Letter Opposing Tax Hikes

TAKE A STAND AGAINST TAX INCREASES ON WORKING FAMILIES AND AMERICAN BUSINESSES

January 22, 2007

Dear Representative:

Recently you received the attached letter from Representative Tom Feeney strongly encouraging President Bush to veto any bill that contains tax increases on working Americans and businesses. The letter further states that the undersigned Members intend to vote against any congressional effort to override a veto should an attempt be made.

On behalf of the millions of taxpayers, families, small businesses, senior citizens, and shareholders represented by our organizations, we urge you to sign this very important letter. Signing this letter makes clear your opposition to tax increases, urges the President to veto any tax increase, and informs the President you will fight on behalf of taxpayers if any effort is made to override his veto.

In 1999, President Bush signed in writing his unwavering opposition to raising taxes on American workers and businesses. At the same time nearly 200 members of the House of Representatives have pledged to their constituents in writing not to raise taxes.
Yet, the threat to American taxpayers and businesses is real as the actions of the new House leadership in the past week signal their desire to raise taxes. Rules governing the 110th Congress will make tax increases easier to enact and make tax cuts more difficult. Speaker Pelosi has repeatedly refused to rule out tax increases since being installed as Speaker.

Therefore, your leadership in working against any proposed tax increases and any attempt to override President Bush’s veto is critical to protecting American taxpayers for the next two years.

Tax increases are clearly not needed despite the claims being made by elected officials who support raising taxes on working families. In fact, the federal government has implemented $1 trillion of tax cuts over the past five fiscal years and tax revenues are increasing faster than inflation, personal income, and economic growth. As a result, the budget deficit has declined 53 percent since April 2004 and in calendar year 2006 alone the budget deficit declined by 35 percent. This reduction comes at a time when spending remained elevated.

Clearly, Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem and the pro-tax increase members are trying to use the budget deficit as a means to justify these tax increases. But the true intentions are clear: raise taxes to grow the size of government.

Once again we strongly urge you to sign Rep. Feeney’s letter encouraging President Bush to veto any tax increase and to pledge your support to against any effort to override his veto.

To sign the letter, please contact Tonnie Wybensinger in Rep. Feeney’s office at t.wybensinger@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,
Jim Martin, 60 Plus Association
Ryan Ellis, Alliance for Worker Freedom
Pat Callahan, American Association of Small Property Owners
David Keene, American Conservative Union
Dick Patten, American Family Business Institute
Daniel Clifton, American Shareholders Association
Tim Phillips, Americans for Prosperity
Joe Calomino, Americans for Prosperity – Illinois
Peggy Venable, Americans for Prosperity – Texas
Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
Andrew Quinlan, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Jeffrey Mazzella, Center for Individual Freedom
Jim Backlin, Christian Coalition of America
Pat Toomey, Club for Growth
Thomas Schatz, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Kay Daly, Coalition for a Fair Judiciary
Phyllis Schafly, Eagle Forum
John McClaughry, Ethan Allen Institute
Bob Williams, Evergreen Freedom Foundation
Mallory Factor, Free Enterprise Fund
Matthew Kibbe, FreedomWorks
Greg Blankenship, Illinois Policy Institute
Bob McClure, James Madison Institute
Karl Peterjohn, Kansas Taxpayers Network
Richard Falknor, Maryland Taxpayers Association
Forest Thigpen, Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Lew Uhler, National Tax Limitation Committee
John Berthoud, National Taxpayers Union
Jim Stergios, Pioneer Institute
Scott LaGanga, Property Rights Alliance
Chuck Muth, Citizen Outreach
Geoffrey Segal, Reason Foundation
Karen Kerrigan, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
David Strom, Taxpayers League of Minnesota