CONTRIBUTOR
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES / NATIONAL IMPACT
ATR
Member For
32 weeks 3 days
Website:
www.ATR.org
Contact:
722 12th Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20005
Office: 202-785-0266
Fax: 202-785-0261
friends@atr.org
BIOGRAPHY
Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle.
We believe in a system in which taxes are simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today. The government's power to control one's life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized.
ATR was founded in 1985 by Grover Norquist at the request of President Reagan.
The flagship project of Americans for Tax Reform is the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a written promise by legislators and candidates for office that commits them to oppose any effort to increase income taxes on individuals and businesses. Since ATR first sponsored the Pledge in 1986, hundreds of U.S. Representatives, more than fifty U.S. Senators and every successful Republican Presidential candidate have all signed the Pledge. In the 111th Congress, 172 U.S. Representatives and 34 U.S. Senators have taken the Pledge never to raise income taxes.
Americans for Tax Reform began promoting the Taxpayer Protection Pledge on the state-level in the early 1990s.
ATR works with state taxpayer coalitions in all 50 states to ask candidates for state legislature and constitutional office to sign the State Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which reads: “I _____ pledge to the taxpayers of the __________ district, of the state of __________, and to all the people of this state, that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.”
Additionally, Americans for Tax Reform works with state-based center-right groups to help replicate ATR’s national Wednesday Meeting in the states. Currently, there are over 50 meetings in 45 states. These meetings bring together a broad cross section of the center-right community- taxpayer groups, social conservative groups, business groups, legislators, etc., to promote limited government ideals.
Realizing that Americans not only need to be protected from higher taxes, but from higher spending; Americans for Tax Reform created the Center for Fiscal Accountability (CFA) in 2008. CFA focuses on all central issues related to fiscal responsibility and accountability, especially spending restraint and the promotion of a more transparent and accountable government on the local, state, and federal level through easily searchable online spending and contract databases.
Americans for Tax Reform and Americans for Tax Reform Foundation also sponsor the annual calculation of Cost of Government Day (COGD), the day on which Americans stop working to pay the costs of taxation, deficit spending, and regulations by federal and state governments.
ATR is a nonprofit, 501(c)(4) lobbying organization. Contributions to Americans for Tax Reform are not tax deductible. The Americans for Tax Reform Foundation is a 501c(3) research and educational organization. All contributions to the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation are tax deductible to the extent provided for in federal law.
COMMENTARIES
Cap and Trade Pioneer Now Has Doubts
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/20/09
The Wall Street Journal reports that one of the two economists that dreamed cap-and trade in the 1960s, Thomas Crocker is doubtful about its effectiveness. As the WSJ writes, “But Mr. Crocker and other pioneers of the concept are doubtful about its chances of success. They aren't abandoning efforts to curb emissions. But they are tiptoeing away from an idea they devised decades ago, doubting it can work on the grand scale now... read more »
3 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Democrats Try Selling Public Option as a "Co-Op"
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/19/09
The White House has started to hint that the public option may no longer be a required feature of health care reform. Yesterday, Obama’s Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius suggested that a “co-op” might be an acceptable alternative to a government run public plan. But what, exactly, is a co-op? And would a government run co-op be substantially different from the public option supported by most... read more »
2 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Rogue Union Turns the Tables on Teamsters
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/17/09
Sometimes, in labor negotiations, the union proposes something outlandish (6 months paid vacation), the employer refuses to comply and the union goes on strike. At this point, businesses have two options; ignore the union and continue to lose productivity while the market reacts negatively and their stocks plummet, or come to a “compromise” with the union. Where of course here, “compromise” means “give the unions a... read more »
4 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Obama Goes "Postal" in Defense of Healthcare Reform
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/15/09
President Obama recently defended his government run health care plan by equating it with the Post Office. He claims that the plan would not crowd out private companies just as the Post Office has not crowded out private competitors. He said: "How can a private company compete against the government? My answer is that if the private insurance companies are providing a good bargain, and if the public option has to be self-sustaining,... read more »
2 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Obama's Promise of Transparency Falls Short
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/14/09
So how is Obama's transparency promise holding up? It's really not, when you look at the TARP program and the latest SIGTARP report, and Recovery.gov (at least before its fancy and extremely costly makeover) certainly fails to live up to the expectations the administration had raised in taxpayers. And we'll see how Recovery.gov will hold up after the makeover. It took some serious prodding by many for the GSA to release the... read more »
2 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Energy Plan Would Add $7.5 Billion in New Agencies and Bureaucrats
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/13/09
Just when you thought there weren’t enough bureaucrats and red tape in Washington, DC, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that the Cap and Trade program would add at least $7.5 billion in new agencies and bureaucrats. The CBO reports (Page 32): "Several federal agencies, including EPA, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Department of State, DOE, and others would be responsible for administering... read more »
2 Comments | Related Topics »National |
From Today Forward, Money you Make is Actually Yours!
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/13/09
Happy Cost of Government Day...well, yesterday. From today forward, all the money you make is actually yours! Yesterday, the average American worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government on the federal, state and local levels. There are numerous ways that government can reduce waste, obviously, but one of the most needless money pits is made possible by... read more »
3 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Note to Representatives: U.S. Constitution Should Be Your Guide
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/11/09
There has been a lot of heated debate about whether Senators and Congressmen should read the 1000+ page bills that are being proposed, most notably the health care and Cap and Trade bills. Protesters at town hall meetings are demanding their representatives read every page of the bill before voting for it. This seems like a reasonable request, though many senators and congressmen have taken offense to the idea that they read these... read more »
3 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Government Run Schools Not Good Enough Political Elites
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/08/09
A new ad campaign is under way in the DC Metro system with posters featuring an 8 year old Florida girl asking “President Obama’s daughters get healthy school lunches. Why don’t I?” The easy answer is because Obama’s daughters go to a prestigious private school rather than a government-run public school. The real question that should be asked is, “Why are government schools good enough for other... read more »
4 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Lies and Intimidation Used to Silence Health Care Reform Dissent
By Americans for Tax Reform | 08/07/09
It is clear that we are winning the fight against President Obama's proposals to create a government-run health care behemouth. And the cronies and special interest groups who want to ram Obama's $2 trillion monstrocity on the American people are running scared. So scared that they are resorting to dirty tricks and desperate measures. Knowing that we have the truth on our side, they are resorting to lies, deceit and finally intimidation and... read more »
9 Comments | Related Topics »National |
RECOMMENDED SITES
