To join two new caucuses, lawmakers must take a pledge.
Sen. Dean Martin, R-6, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Warde Nichols, R-21, vice chairman of House Ways and Means, have been named chairmen of their chambers’ Taxpayer Protection caucuses, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) announced Jan. 11.
“The Arizona Taxpayer Protection Caucus will fight for Arizona families and businesses to keep more of their hard-earned money,” said Grover Norquist, president of ATR, which bills itself as founded at the request of the late President Ronald Reagan to oppose all federal, state and local tax increases.
Joining the caucuses requires legislators to make a written commitment to their constituents to oppose tax increases. ATR says every state except Nebraska will have the taxpayer caucuses, and 14 senators and 18 representatives in the Arizona Legislature have signed the pledge.
“Considering the budget surplus battle facing Arizona, tax relief and spending restraint continue to be very high on the radar screen for members of the public and the media,” an ATR news release stated.