Jeb Bush is charting his own course, refusing to walk in lockstep with the host of growing GOP presidential candidates as he has declined to sign on to a no-new-taxes pledge that other conservatives have supported,
NBC News reports.
Bush won't be signing a "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" floated by the watchdog group
Americans for Tax Reform, even as GOP presidential competitors Sens. Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have quickly penned their support.
The document has been circulated by the anti-tax group for more than two decades, NBC said. It has been signed by many members of Congress along with "more than a dozen GOP governors and about 1,000 state legislators."
It asks lawmakers to "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses" and "oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."
Grover Norquist, who heads ATR, said in February he believes Bush will eventually sign it,
ABC News reported.
But Bush's spokeswoman said in March that that would not happen,
CNN said.
"If Governor Bush decides to move forward, he will not sign any pledges circulated by lobbying groups," said Kristy Campbell in a statement, according to CNN. "His record on tax cuts is clear. He didn't raise taxes."
Bush later reiterated his position, NBC News said. When speaking at a
National Review Ideas Summit in Washington on April 30, he was direct but terse with the publication's editor on the issue.
Bush replied to National Review editor Rich Lowry with a flat "no" when asked whether "any circumstance" would prompt him to sign the ATR pledge, segueing into his own record on taxes while governor, NBC said.
"I cut taxes every year. $19 billion dollars. Every year we had all sorts of tax cuts. I don't have to be told how important that is," Bush said.
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