At a meeting with Patrick Gleason, State Coalitions Manager of Americans for Tax Reform, ATR, he shared a matrix of the front runner presidential candidates pro-taxpayer positions. Note. I have deleted Fred Thompson who has dropped out.
1) Taxpayer Protection Pledge:
YES. Giuliani, Huckabee, Romney
NO. McCain, Clinton, Edwards, Obama
2) Bush Income & Investment Tax Cuts Permanent
YES. Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Romney
NO. Clinton, Edwards, Obama
3) Permanent Death tax Repeal
YES. Giuliani, Huckabee, Romney (McCain supports A 15% death tax rate)
NO. Clinton, Edwards, Obama
4) Repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax
YES. Giuliani, McCain
NO. Huckabee, Romney, Clinton, Edwards, Obama
5) Alternative system
YES. Giuliani (Huckabee supports the FAIR tax)
NO. Romney, McCain, Clinton, Edwards, Obama
6) NEW Capitol Gains Tax Rate Cut
YES. Giuliani
NO. Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Clinton, Edwards, Obama
7) Corporate Income Tax Rate Cut
YES. Giuliani, Romney
NO. Huckabee, McCain, Clinton, Edwards, Obama
8) RSAs/LSAs, ERSAs
YES. Giuliani, Romney
NO. Huckabee, McCain, Clinton, Edwards, Obama
9) Health Care tax Reform
YES. Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Romney
NO. Clinton, Edwards, Obama
OK. I am sure that someone will ask what is a RSA etc. Good question.
Retirement Planning and Tax Policy
The proposal is to eliminate most existing forms of tax-advantaged retirement plans, and replace them with three new ones. Two of the new ones would essentially be Roth IRAs for individuals: the LSA (Lifetime Savings Account) with no withdrawal penalties at any time, and the RSA (Retirement Savings Account) with a substantial penalty for withdrawal prior to age 58. Contributions of up to $7,500 per person per year would be permitted into each plan. The third new plan would be the ERSA (Employer Retirement Savings Account), which could be modeled on the 401(k) plan with the same contribution limits as 401(k)s, but with considerably eased non-discrimination rules, and with the option of making contributions on a pre-tax or post-tax (i.e., Roth) basis.
Google bails me out again.
Ron Paul would not commit to this Grover Norquist-founded group either!
There is something fishy here. I am starting to think that all these organizations are nothing more than cottage industries to talk and collect money, but don’t really want what they advocate. I know for damn sure I will never give the Cato Institute another dime.
Why is Ron Paul not on the list? He is the most principled candidate, has consistently kicked ass over Giuliani and Fred Thompson, has more money than all the Republican candidates except for self funding Mitt Romney.
If this was a real list from a principled organization that wants tax relief, Ron Paul would be on the list.
And one more thing, as Milton Friedman said, “The true level of taxation is the level of Federal spending.” If ATF was serious about producing a list of candidates who are serious about reducing taxes, there would only be one name on the list, Ron Paul.
At least that is the way I see it.
Andy Favor
73rd Assembly District Candidate
http://www.AndyFavor.com
I forgot to paste in the press release:
Rep. Ron Paul Signs Presidential Taxpayer Protection Pledge
Representative promises to protect the wallets of American taxpayers as a presidential candidate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Ron Paul, who is seeking the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination, signed the Presidential Taxpayer Protection Pledge today. The Pledge sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform commits signers to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”
ATR has offered the Pledge to all candidates for federal office since 1987. Every Republican nominee for President since 1988 has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. To date, President George W. Bush, 43 U.S. Senators, and 196 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed the Pledge. Seven Governors and over 1,100 state legislators have signed the Pledge as well.
“In signing the Pledge, Rep. Paul firmly commits himself to the fiscal discipline and economic common sense that American taxpayers deserve of their presidential candidates,” said Grover Norquist, president of ATR.
“I strongly encourage every Presidential candidate to sign the Pledge,” Norquist continued.
Rep. Ron Paul joins Gov. Mitt Romney, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, Rep. Duncan Hunter, Gov. Jim Gilmore, Rep. Tom Tancredo, and Gov. Mike Huckabee as the next major candidate to sign the Pledge for the 2008 Presidential Campaign.
Copies of the Pledge are available at http://www.atr.org or by calling (202) 785-0266.
###
Americans for Tax Reform is a non-partisan coalition of taxpayers and taxpayer groups who oppose any and all federal and state tax increases. For more information, or to arrange an interview with Mr. Norquist please contact John Kartch at (202)785-0266 or by email at jkartch@atr.org.
Andy.
I commend you for your steadfast loyalty to the candidacy of Congressman Ron Paul.
I did comment that his name was missing and was told that the listing only included the front runners. I can show you the one page spreadsheet that he gave me.