Norquist: Expiration Of Bush Era Cuts Not A Tax Hike

UPDATE: ATR issued a statement Thursday afternoon clarifying its leader’s comments to the Washington Post:

“ATR opposes all tax increases on the American people.  Any failure to extend or make permanent the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, in whole or in part, would clearly increase taxes on the American people.  In addition, the failure to extend the AMT patch would increase taxes.  The outlines of the plans are deliberately hazy, but it appears that both Obama’s Simpson-Bowles commission proposal and the Gang-of-Six proposal dramatically increase taxes on the American people.

It is a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to trade temporary tax reductions for permanent tax hikes.

The present conversations in Washington should focus totally and exclusively on reducing government overspending.  President Barack Obama has increased the annual federal budget by almost $1 trillion dollars.  ATR has not altered either its policy positions or opposition to all tax increases whatsoever in any debt negotiations.

Tax reform that reduces tax rates and broadens the tax base on a revenue neutral basis should be done separately and not in a rush under duress from parties hostile to the interests of taxpayers.”

WASHINGTON — Grover Norquist, the President of Americans for Tax Reform, does not qualify the expiration of the Bush era tax cuts as a tax increase, according to the Washington Post.

According to an editorial in Thursday’s edition of the Post, an expiration would not break the pledge that his organization asks lawmakers to sign, which specifically makes members of Congress promise to not raise taxes.

“We wouldn’t hold it that way,” Norquist said in an interview.

The Post goes on to note that Norquist is, unsurprisingly, against allowing any of the cuts to expire.

In 2010, the Bush tax cuts were extended for all Americans for two years, despite the President Obama’s insistence on not renewing them for Americans who earn over $250,000.