Leading Free Market Groups Call on Georgia Governor Perdue to not Break Campaign Pledge

FreedomWorks ^ | 5-10-07 | Adam Brandon

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After coasting to reelection, Governor Sonny Perdue is turning his back on fiscal conservatives. The Georgia legislature proposed a budget that includes a $142 million property tax refund. Governor Perdue vetoed the budget this week, but refused to send it back to the legislature out of fear of being overridden. Instead Governor Perdue rescinded his veto, and used a line-item veto to strike the property tax refund from the budget.

FreedomWorks believes that government should cut spending first before eliminating any tax cuts. FreedomWorks alerted its 13,000 members in Georgia through an email action alert to call and email Governor Perdue asking him to stick to conservative principles and give Georgia taxpayers the relief they deserve.

FreedomWorks is also leading a coalition effort to raise awareness of the issue among conservatives. Americans for Tax Reform, National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, and FreedomWorks all co-authored a letter to Governor Perdue calling for spending cutes over stopping the tax refund.

The coalition letter stated:

“As organizations working to reduce high taxes and wasteful government spending, we urge you to reconsider your opposition to a $142 million tax rebate for Georgia taxpayers. Given the recent growth of government spending in Georgia, and the rapid appreciation of housing prices and related property taxes, we believe this rebate is appropriate and necessary.”

FreedomWorks Chairman and Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey commented,

“We have a problem of conservatives drinking backsliders wine and putting government ahead of taxpayers. Too often politicians take the easy way and raise taxes rather than cutting pet projects or saying ‘no’ to their political friends when it comes to additional spending. Lawmakers in the Georgia House, lead by the 216 Group, worked hard to crate a budget that returned $142 million to taxpayers. Hopefully Governor Perdue will agree with the legislators that Georgians deserve a tax break, and will drop his veto to the $142 million property tax rebate.”

abrandon@freedomworks.org