Anti-Tax Activist Throws Corbett to the Wolves
Chris Brennan reports that Gov. Tom Corbett isn’t getting much support from Grover Norquist, the man best known for getting Republican candidates across the nation to sign “no new taxes” pledges — and breaking those who don’t.
Corbett last year pushed for and then signed into law a transportation bill that will raise $2.3 billion to $2.4 billion per year for road and bridge repairs and mass transit.
Corbett’s campaign commercials now say he kept his promise not to raise taxes. His campaign spokesman, Chris Pack, insists that the legislation merely “removed an artificial cap on the liquid-fuel tax that oil companies pay.”
Norquist isn’t buying that.
“Removing a cap is an effort to raise taxes,” he said yesterday. “It’s a tax increase.”
Despite that, Norquist predicts Republicans will stick with Corbett rather than vote for a Democrat they deem more likely to raise even more taxes. But his comments fall well short of an endorsement.
