| Americans for Tax Reform | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Abbreviation | ATR |
| Formation | 1985 |
| Type | Advocacy group |
| Headquarters | 722 12th Street NW |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Region served | United States |
| President | Grover Norquist |
| Website | http://www.atr.org |
Americans for Tax Reform is an advocacy group whose goal is "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." Its founder and president is Grover Norquist, an influential conservative advocate.
Contents |
Projects
Taxpayer Protection Pledge
Since 1986, ATR has sponsored the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge", a written promise by legislators and candidates for office that commits them to oppose tax increases. There are two versions, one each at the national and state level.[1][2] As of July 30, 2009, 172 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 members of the U.S. Senate have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Democrats who have signed the pledge include Sens. Ben Nelson and Arlen Specter and House members Brad Ellsworth, Gene Taylor, Rob Andrews and Ben Chandler.[3]
Ronald Reagan Legacy Project
Created in 1997, ATR's Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, has worked toward seeing each county in the United States commemorate the former president in a "significant" and "public" way, such as the naming of a public building. The project has also supported efforts to place Reagan on the ten-dollar bill.[4] The project has also encouraged state governors declare February 6 to be "Ronald Reagan Day"; as of 2006, 40 governors have done so.[5]
Center for Fiscal Accountability
Since 2008, ATR has sought to encourage transparency and accountability in government through the Center for Fiscal Accountability. The organization's mission includes supporting the creation of searchable online databases of government spending, among other initiatives.[5]
Cost of Government Day
ATR sponsors the calculation of "Cost of Government Day", the day on which, by its calculations, "Americans stop working to pay the costs of taxation, deficit spending, and regulations by federal and state governments."[6] Since 2008 the event has been sponsored by the Center for Fiscal Accountability.
Other projects
ATR has several special project lines dedicated to specific issues including The American Shareholders Association (ASA), Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), Property Rights Alliance (PRA), The Media Freedom Project (MFP).
Wednesday meetings
Shortly after Bill Clinton's 1992 election, ATR headquarters became the site of a weekly, off-the-record get-together of conservatives to coordinate activities and strategy. The "Wednesday Meeting" of the Leave Us Alone Coalition soon became an important hub of conservative political organizing. Participants each week include Republican congressional leaders, right-leaning think tanks, conservative advocacy groups and K Street lobbyists. George W. Bush began sending a representative to the Wednesday Meeting even before he formally announced his candidacy for president in 1999, and continued to send representatives after his election in 2000.[7]
ATR has helped to establish regular meetings for conservatives nationwide, modeled after the Wednesday meetings in Washington, with the goal of creating a nationwide network of conservative activists to help support initiatives such as tax cuts and deregulation. There are now meetings in 48 states.[8]
The significance of the Wednesday meeting has influenced liberals and Democrats to organize similar meetings to coordinate activities about their shared agenda. In 2001, USA Today reported that Rep. Rosa DeLauro initiated such a meeting at the urging of then-House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt, even holding it on a Wednesday.[7]
Political positions
The primary policy goal of Americans for Tax Reform is to reduce the percentage of the GDP consumed by the government.[9][10] ATR states that it "opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle."[11] Americans for Tax Reform seeks to curtail government spending by supporting Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) legislation[12] and transparency initiatives,[13] and opposing cap-and-trade legislation[14] and Democratic efforts to overhaul health care.[15]
ATR is a member of the Cooler Heads Coalition, which takes the position in the global warming controversy that "the science of global warming is uncertain, but the negative impacts of global warming policies on consumers are all too real". ATR supported the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 and continues to favor a comprehensive immigration reform bill.[16]
Involvement with Jack Abramoff
According to an investigative report from the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on the Jack Abramoff scandal, released in June 2006, ATR served as a "conduit" for funds that flowed from Abramoff's clients to finance surreptitiously grass-roots lobbying campaigns.[17] Records show that donations from the Choctaw and Kickapoo tribes to ATR were coordinated in part by Abramoff, and in some cases preceded meetings between the tribes and the White House.[17][18]
See also
References
- ^ "Federal Taxpayer Protection Pledge Q & A". Americans for Tax Reform. http://atr.org/userfiles/federaltaxpayerprotectionpledge_qanda.pdf. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "State Taxpayer Protection Pledge Q & A". Americans for Tax Reform. http://atr.org/userfiles/file/StatePledgeQ&A.pdf. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "Current Taxpayer Protection Pledge Signers in the 111th Congress". Americans for Tax Reform. http://www.atr.org/current-taxpayer-protection-pledge-signers-th-a2851. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "Reagan Backers Weigh Ways to Honor His Memory". Associated Press. 10 June 2004. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5166509/ns/us_news-the_legacy_of_ronald_reagan/. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ a b "About the Center for Fiscal Accountability". Center for Fiscal Accountability. http://www.fiscalaccountability.org/about. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "Cost of Government Day, 2005: Wasteful Spending Takes Its Toll". Citizens Against Government Waste. http://www.cagw.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9054. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ a b Page, Susan (1 June 2001). "Norquist's Power High, Profile Low". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2001-06-01-grover.htm. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Cassidy, John (25 July 2001). "Wednesdays With Grover". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/08/01/050801on_onlineonly01. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Cassidy, John (25 July 2001). "Wednesdays With Grover". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/08/01/050801on_onlineonly01. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "Cost of Government Day 2008". Center For Fiscal Accountability. http://www.fiscalaccountability.org/index.php?content=cogsub10. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "The Great Tax Debate". NOW With Bill Moyers. http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/taxcutdebate.html. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Tom, Bell (14 May 2001). "Tax-Reform Guru Touts TABOR II". Morning Sentinel. http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/6959021.html. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Reuters (28 October 2008). "Advocates of Florida Spending Transparency Hold Press Conference". Press release. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS249645+21-Feb-2008+PRN20080221. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Mora, Edwin (26 August 2009). "Government Agencies Would Need $16.6 Billion in New Tax Revenue to Buy Carbon Allowances Under Global Warming Legislation". CNS News. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/53039. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Reuters (2009-10-28). "Taxpayer Group Launches Petition to Ask Sen. Ben Nelson to Keep His Pledge". Press release. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS198019+28-Oct-2009+PRN20091028. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- ^ Americans for Tax Reform (25 May 2006). "Taxpayer Group Hails Senate Passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform". Press release. http://www.atr.org/taxpayers-group-hails-senate-passage-comprehensive-a2393. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Susan; Grimaldi, James V. (25 June 2006). "Nonprofit Groups Funneled Money For Abramoff". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/24/AR2006062401080.html. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ Shenon, Phillip (10 March 2006). "$25,000 to Lobby Group is Tied to Access to Bush". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/politics/10abramoff.html. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
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