Republican gubernatorial candidate, Warrenton Mayor George
Fitch, became the first politician in the state to sign the Unalienable
Rights Foundation's 9-point candidate's
pledge. Fitch signed the pledge without hesitation before a group of
people attending the recent meeting of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance.
In the pledge, Fitch agreed to:
- Abide by the original intent of the U.S. Constitution
- Limit government spending to growth of Virginia population and inflation
- Refund tax surpluses to citizens in proportion to their contributions
- Prioritize budget spending from lower valued to higher valued programs and
not spending new net taxes
- Support educational alternatives by creating competition and improve
student performance at a lower cost
- Defend private property against takings by government, utilities, and
regulation; limit use of eminent domain
- Support citizen petition rights with rules as non-restrictive as possible
and make citizen petitions binding on government
City Councilmen Peter Schmidt and
Harry Diezel were asked to sign the same pledge, but declined on grounds they
wanted to study it further before committing. Under the 9-point pledge,
candidates can initial any or all 9 points. Fitch has also signed the Taxpayer
Protection Pledge from Americans for Tax Reform.
You can view the entire pledge Candidate
Pledge
Fitch Vows to veto
any tax increases
In a news release issued today, Fitch, the only candidate for Governor of
Virginia who has a track record for cutting taxes and reducing spending, said
today if he is elected Governor of Virginia, he will veto any tax increases
enacted by the Virginia General Assembly.
In comments to the media at a rally sponsored by the Fairfax Taxpayers
Alliance, Fitch said he has signed the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” written
by Americans for Tax Reform and questioned why his Republican opponent, Jerry
Kilgore, hasn’t also signed the pledge “to oppose any and all efforts to
increase taxes.”
“This is a perfect example of how Jerry Kilgore hasn’t been honest with
voters on the issue of taxes. He claims he is for tax relief, but he sat silent
while the General Assembly was socking Virginia’s taxpayers with the largest
tax increase in history; his proposal for real estate tax relief is a sham; and
he won’t sign a pledge to oppose new tax increases on Virginia taxpayers,”
Fitch said.
FROM
THE VIRGINIA NEWS SOURCE
