Press release from the Jim Banks for State Senate campaign:
Jim Banks Signs Taxpayer Protection Pledge
(Columbia City – February 1, 2010) Candidate for State Senate District 17 Jim Banks signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge today to never support tax increases if he is elected to the Indiana General Assembly. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform and can be found at www.ATR.org. The pledge states “I, Jim Banks, pledge to the taxpayers of the 17th District of the State of Indiana that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.” Banks joins seven current Indiana State Senators and over 1100 legislators nationally who have signed the taxpayer pledge. “When I ran for Whitley County Council I committed to the voters I would work against raising taxes and would strive to cut spending,” said Banks, who currently serves as a Whitley County Councilman At-Large. “I kept my word and am signing this pledge today to make the same commitment to fiscal responsibility if I am fortunate enough to serve my district in the Indiana State Senate.”
Jim Banks signed the pledge in front of the Conservative Breakfast Club, a group he co-founded nearly two years ago, this morning. “As a fiscal and social conservative, I look forward to advancing conservative principles in the statehouse,” said Banks. “For too long, Republicans and Democrats have grown government and are spending our tax dollars on programs government was never intended to perform in the first place. In signing this pledge, I am not only committed to opposing tax hikes but will also work to cut and eliminate wasteful government spending in our state budget.”
Banks is running to replace State Senator Gary “Doc” Dillon who is retiring at the end of his term this year. Banks has been endorsed by many conservative organizations and leaders including American Family Association of Indiana PAC, Allen County Right to Life PAC, Patriots Project, Opportunity Project of Indiana, State Representative Jackie Walorski, Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold, Wabash Mayor Robert Vanlandingham, and the incumbent State Senator Gary Dillon.
From the Americans for Tax Reform Website:
“Politicians often run for office saying they won’t raise taxes, but then quickly turn their backs on the taxpayer. The idea of the Pledge is simple enough: Make them put their no-new-taxes rhetoric in writing.
“In the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, candidates and incumbents solemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases. While ATR has the role of promoting and monitoring the Pledge, the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is actually made to a candidate’s constituents, who are entitled to know where candidates stand before sending them to the capitol. Since the Pledge is a prerequisite for many voters, it is considered binding as long as an individual holds the office for which he or she signed the Pledge.
“Since its rollout with the endorsement of President Reagan in 1986, the pledge has become de rigeur for Republicans seeking office, and is a necessity for Democrats running in Republican districts.
“Today the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is offered to every candidate for state office and to all incumbents. More than 1,100 state officeholders, from state representative to governor, have signed the Pledge. Statehouse tax-and-spend interests have to contend with Pledge signers in every state.”
For more information, please contact Jim Banks at 260-579-5828 or visit www.JimBanks.us.
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